Somebody to Love Part III
by Phantom Rosabelle
Summary: AU: PRiS. In the end, it all comes down to the little things. Andros/Ashley.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Author's Note:** So, this is the last part of the trilogy. (I can't believe I actually got this far...) I re-read parts one and two before writing this chapter, and I realized how little actually happened. There should hopefully be much more action in this part.

About the first scene--I couldn't help myself. ::grins:: I've been waiting forever to write something like that. Enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

She hovered between dream and consciousness for what felt like forever, blissfully unaware of everything around her. There was nothing besides the warmth all around her and a peaceful contentedness that made her too lazy to move.

Slowly, her mind settled back into her body, and Ashley let out a sleepy sigh. Still too lethargic to open her eyes, she tried to burrow a little deeper into her blankets. Her sleep-fogged brain took far too long to realize that she couldn't roll over, and finally she blinked her eyes open.

Andros's face was the first sight that met her eyes, and it brought a smile to her face. He was still asleep, his lips turned up in a small smile. His hair fell across his face in streaked tangles, and she brushed it back with a soft laugh. He stirred slightly but didn't come all the way awake, and Ashley laid her head back down to relax against him.

Her body shifted against his as she squirmed around until she was comfortable, and she frowned slightly. She wasn't wearing a thing, and it didn't seem like he was, either... The night before came flowing back to replay itself lazily in her mind, and then Ashley smiled peacefully at the remembered feel of his hands on her skin.

She turned her face towards him to kiss the crook of his neck and decided that sex was a little overrated. Not that it was _bad,_ just... a little uncomfortable, but she supposed that would fade in time. Beneath the awkwardness, though, Ashley couldn't help feeling that she'd never have enough of him, that her sole purpose in life was to love him and let him love her in return.

_You've fallen way too hard,_ she told herself, and not for the first time. But it was so easy to love him that she had to wonder how it was possible that some people didn't. He was so... sweet. Caring. Considerate. Protective. Honorable, she decided, wrinkling her nose slightly. It wasn't the word she was searching for, but close enough. He'd lost his childhood fighting a war that had taken away his friends and his family, but he was still here, still fighting.

"I love you," she murmured softly, placing a kiss on his chest.

His arm tightened around her waist, and she knew he'd heard. "Love you too..." Andros's voice, sleepy and lethargic, brought a smile to her face.

Ashley sighed contentedly and snuggled closer as Andros struggled to wake up. "This is nice," she whispered, reluctant to disturb the calmness all around them.

He kissed her hair in silent agreement, one hand trailing up her spine to rub her shoulders. Ashley closed her eyes and let him stroke her hair, feeling the peaceful silence stretch on for what felt like forever before she felt compelled to break it.

"Last night," she ventured finally, tilting her head back to look at him. "I..."

Andros lowered his mouth to hers in a soft kiss, hugging her a little closer to him. She couldn't think to do anything but kiss him back, draping an arm around his neck again. Her fingers brushed against his spine the way that had driven him crazy the night before and his hand clenched on her shoulder as his kiss turned a little less soft.

Ashley was distracted enough that she didn't wonder when he tensed suddenly, still kissing him and not caring why he stiffened until she heard a startled exclamation from somewhere near the door. Blushing furiously, she snuck a quick glance over her shoulder to see Zhane lounging in the doorway, grinning widely at both of them and not looking at all uncomfortable.

"You took my advice, then," he remarked, smirking at Andros. "You know, I think I'm going to go get some breakfast now. You two can just go back to whatever it is that you were doing... Oh, and Andros? The doors around here do lock, you know."

Ashley groaned and buried her face in Andros's chest as the door slid shut again. He stroked her hair soothingly and sighed. "He'll keep his mouth shut if he knows what's good for him," he assured her, and kissed her neck. "But we really should get up now."

"Yeah," she agreed quietly. She'd kill Zhane herself if she had to. Part of her almost didn't care--nothing was going to ruin her good mood. Andros was hers and she was his, and nothing else mattered.

* * *

Andros entered the holding bay quietly, hoping to sneak through unnoticed. No such luck; Zhane snorted loudly into his oatmeal the moment he walked through the doors. Glaring at him, Andros ordered his own breakfast and took a seat, wondering if Ashley had done the smart thing by choosing now to visit her family. Probably. 

"So Andros," Carlos asked. "Sleep well?"

TJ snickered, and Andros shot Zhane a look that promised the nastiest revenge he could think of. The Silver Ranger simply smiled back innocently. "That could have been a totally coincidental question."

Andros crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow. "Why do I doubt it?"

"Seriously, we're happy for you guys," TJ said.

"Yeah." Carlos nodded. "Really, we are. But would it kill you to lock the door next time?"

Andros groaned, and poked at the food on his plate. "That wasn't deliberate!"

"Sure it wasn't." Zhane nodded knowingly. "You know, if I didn't know you I'd think you--"

"You don't think," Andros snapped shortly. "That's your problem. And we're not talking about this anymore."

TJ and Carlos wisely kept silent. Zhane shot him a look of mingled hurt and confusion, prodding him mentally. Andros ignored him, glaring down at his breakfast, his good mood long gone. He didn't care; this was something he _really_ didn't want to talk about and especially not with Zhane.

He rubbed his forehead with a sigh, setting his fork down next to his untouched food. "Deca, is Ashley still at her parents house?"

"Yes," she replied, and he shoved his stool back.

"I'm going to see her," he announced unnecessarily. No one said a word as he stormed out of the holding bay to change into clothing that would be less conspicuous on Earth.

He was scowling as he rang Ashley's doorbell, and tried to force a smile for whoever opened the door. Andros should have known that no matter how he'd hoped that she would answer the door herself, he'd find himself facing some other member of her family.

"Mrs. Hammond?" he guessed, and the woman nodded. "I'm Andros. I--"

"Oh, I know who you are," she cut him off with a friendly smile. "Please, come in."

He followed her a bit timidly, doubtful of how welcoming she would be if she knew how he and Ashley had spent the night before. He was assuming, naturally, that Ashley was making no plans to tell her, and had a feeling that neither of them would appreciate it if he let something slip.

"Ashley's right in there," her mother told him, pointing towards what he vaguely remembered as being the kitchen. "If you haven't eaten yet, help yourself to some cereal."

He stepped into the large, airy room, momentarily blinded by the sunlight streaming in through the windows. Ashley sat at the table in the middle of the room, nibbling on a piece of toast. She glanced up as he entered the kitchen, looking down again before her eyes snapped back to his.

"Andros!" She set her toast down and jumped up from her seat, coming around to hug him. "Why are you here?"

He let out a deep breath as he returned the hug, just inhaling the sweet scent of her hair. "I just wanted to get off the Megaship," he muttered. "I had to get away from Zhane."

She wrinkled her nose. "What did he say?"

"It wouldn't mean anything to you." Andros sighed as he shoved his hair back from his face. "He doesn't even know what he said. I don't want to talk about it," he added, when she opened her mouth. "Please."

"Okay..." Ashley leaned up to kiss him, her breath lingering hot on his mouth as she slowly drew away. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." He let out a deep breath, his arms sliding around her waist. "I'm fine."

She giggled when he kissed her, but pushed him away a few seconds later. "You're lucky my parents didn't walk in just now," she muttered, her eyes straying towards the living room. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

"We need a plan."

Cosmos looked at Lyra quizzically. She was lounging across their bed on her back, hands clasped behind her head. Eyes closed, tone lazy, she didn't look like someone two Rangers had escaped from only fifteen hours before.

"We need a plan," he agreed. "What are you thinking?"

"That we need to improve our security, for one."

He grimaced, and nodded his agreement. "I told Ecliptor last night to do something about that."

"Good." She finally opened her eyes, turning her head slightly towards him. "That's... good."

Cosmos raised an eyebrow. "You're strange this morning."

"Am I?" Lyra shrugged, and rolled over onto her stomach. Her hair fell around her face in disarray, and she shoved it out of her way with an annoyed sigh. "I was only thinking."

"About?" he prompted, when she didn't elaborate.

"Nothing in particular." She paused. "Well... do you really want to kill your brother?"

"Will you stop calling him that?"

Lyra rolled her eyes at him. "The Red Ranger, then."

Now he was starting to worry. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Well." Her lips curled into a smirk, her eyes gleaming dangerously now. "It's just harder to make his life miserable if he'd dead."

He wasn't stupid enough to think that was all there was to it, but he knew better than to ask. Instead, he just grinned and took a seat on the bed. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

Ashley was still giggling as she collapsed onto the oversized towel she'd spread on the sand. "You weren't that bad," she insisted, gasping for air. "Really."

He laughed good-naturedly before joining her, his wet hair tickling her arm. "I don't care," he informed her. "I'm not doing it again."

"You're no fun." She pouted at him before laying down on her back in hopes of a tan. "But you're the only person I've ever met who can't figure out bodysurfing."

"That makes me feel much better," he grumbled, but he was smiling and she was glad.

Whatever had been bothering him when he'd shown up in her kitchen was clearly the last thing on his mind now. His hazel eyes were clear and unusually carefree as he smiled down at her, the slight breeze drying the ocean water on his skin.

Ashley had a hard time tearing her eyes off of him. "Hungry?" she asked, just needing something to distract her from how gorgeous he looked like that. It didn't really work.

"Not really," he answered, and she went right back to staring at him.

Andros leaned over her to grab the sunblock, lowering his head to place a kiss on the back of her neck. Ashley shivered as his skin brushed against hers before he straightened up, her eyes following him as he flicked the lid open and squeezed some onto his hands.

"I'm guessing you don't tan well?" she ventured with a slight giggle, after watching him apply two layers to his legs.

"I've never tried," he said with a shrug. "And I don't intend to start now," he added quickly, probably catching the grin forming on her face.

"You'd look cute with a tan," she informed him, as he rubbed the lotion into his arms. "Or all red like a lobster."

Andros wrinkled his nose at her. Ashley smirked at him and sat up, grabbing the sunblock away from him. "Let me do your back."

He had no objections to that, and she scooted around behind him. She made sure to actually rub it into his skin--if he really didn't tan, she didn't want him burning--but really all she wanted to do was touch him. She needed to touch him, needed to feel his skin warm beneath her fingers to know that everything was as it should be.

Her mind drifted, and she slid her arms beneath his to hug him, resting her chin against his shoulder. His skin smelled of sunblock, but she didn't care. Ashley squeezed him a little harder, suddenly only able to think about how she'd almost lost him a day before.

"Ash?" His voice, soft as it was, was enough to break through her thoughts. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she whispered. "It's nothing."

"It's something to you," he disagreed. "Tell me."

Andros turned to face her when she didn't answer, pulling her into his arms with one look at her face. Ashley tucked her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "Really. Just thinking about yesterday, that's all."

"Yesterday?" he repeated nervously, worry creeping across his face.

"Not that, silly." She couldn't help smiling a little, but it faded as she added, "They could have killed you."

"Oh. That," Andros sighed, and brushed her hair out of her face. "They would have killed you first," he muttered, his expression darkening. "Yesterday... you wouldn't wake up, and I thought..."

His voice trailed off, and she felt him place a kiss in her still-damp hair. "I love you," he murmured instead, hugging her a little closer as she smiled.

"I love you too."

Andros just held her, one hand stroking her hair gently. Ashley closed her eyes and nuzzled closer to him, her arms still tight around his waist. She thought she'd been in love a hundred times before, but she knew what she felt for Andros was really it. What she felt for him couldn't compare to what she'd ever felt for anyone else, couldn't even come close.

The thought of losing him petrified her, and Ashley hugged him harder as she firmly resolved that she wasn't going to. She'd kill Cosmos and Lyra herself if that was what it took, but Ashley would do whatever she had to to keep both herself and Andros alive through the last battle of this war.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 2**

Andros collapsed into his bed with a sigh. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, and after spending the day with Ashley on the beach and then finding time for a team training session, he wanted nothing more than to just _sleep_.

There was a knock on the door and he shoved his head under his pillow. It occured to him a few seconds later that it might be Ashley at the door, and he sat up again with a groan, holding the pillow on his lap.

"Come in," he called.

He felt a tiny twinge of guilt when Zhane stepped into the room, cradling his left arm to his chest. "I should have known better than to spar with you," the Silver Ranger grumbled. "You hit too hard."

"Sorry," Andros muttered. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Zhane dropped his arm, easily flexing his wrist and fingers. "But you should know..."

His voice trailed off as he grinned, and Andros was suddenly uneasy. "What?" he demanded warily.

"I didn't say a thing about you and Ash on the Observatory," Zhane informed him, and smirked. "Oh, and there probably weren't any passing satellites around."

Andros cursed, and the pillow hit Zhane squarely in the chest. He caught it again easily when Zhane threw it back to him, pushing his hair out of his face with a sigh.

"You really didn't say anything?"

"I really didn't say anything," Zhane confirmed. "And they probably won't, either. And I was serious about the satellites."

"That's just great," Andros muttered, groaning as he fell back on the bed. He was almost positive that Deca wouldn't let any satellite that close to the Megaship, but Ashley would probably kill him if that wasn't the case.

"You should have locked the door," Zhane told him helpfully.

Andros glared up at the bottom of the top bunk. "I know."

The door slid open before Zhane could retort. Andros felt himself smile when a pajama-clad Ashley stepped into his room, her hair in a loose ponytail. Her face reddened when she saw Zhane, and Andros shot a warning glare at his best friend as he sat up.

_"If you say one word,_" he threatened, but Zhane only laughed.

"I've got some work to do," he said. "Night, Ash."

"Night," she murmured, quickly crossing the room to join Andros on his bed. Her arms slipped around him in a hug as she kissed his cheek. "Hi."

"Hi," he whispered back, drawing her a little closer.

She kissed his other cheek and then his nose, giggling at his expression before touching her lips lightly to his. "Better?"

He kissed her again before he answered, one hand on the back of her head to hold her to him as his mouth lingered against hers. "Much better."

Ashley's smile was interrupted by a yawn, and he smiled when she rubbed at her eyes.

"I'm not tired," she insisted at his look. "I don't feel like sleeping."

He laughed softly and rolled his eyes at her, before laying down again and pulling her with him. "At least lie down."

Ashley pillowed her head on his shoulder, squirming around until she was comfortable. "I just want to be with you for awhile," she said softly. "That okay?"

He didn't bother to answer, just stroking her hair gently with one hand. Ashley turned her head slightly towards him, tickling his neck with her lips. His skin tingled and she must have heard his quiet intake of breath; her breath was hot on his skin as she laughed softly, and he felt her fingers tighten on his arm.

"Ash..." He groaned her name quietly when she nipped at his ear, feeling chills break out all over his body. "Don't do that."

"I'm not allowed to kiss you good night?" she said innocently, touching her lips to his cheek again. "Night, Andros," she added quietly, one of her arms sliding across his chest in a warm hug.

"Night," he murmured back, and reached down to cover them both with the blankets.

* * *

_He stumbled stiffly down the corridor, numb with disbelief. There was a strange buzz in his ears that he couldn't seem to make go away, and a quiet echo of her words followed him._

_He walked straight into a wall before he realized that he didn't know where he was going. He only needed to get away... away from her. Somehow, he had to explain to his teammates..._

_The thought was lost before he could complete it, and he slammed both fists against the wall in desperation. At a total loss of what else he could do, he hit the wall again, harder this time, squeezing his eyes shut. _How_ had he been so... so blind? How had none of them seen this?_

_Biting his lip, Andros let out a shaky breath. He could still feel her hands on his skin, but all he could see was that cold, calculating look in her eyes and the unfeeling smile on her face as she had vanished from his room in a shower of golden sparkles._

_He should have seen it! He should have known... somehow. His next breath was ragged, and he fought hard to keep back his tears. He couldn't cry over her now, not when there was so much that he had to do now to make up for being so stupid. He had to find his team and tell them... their reactions were too painful to imagine._

_Choking, he turned and tried to keep walking, dragging one foot in front of the other. He knew where he would find them. He didn't know how it was that he got to the living room, but he wandered in still lost in his daze--and froze._

_Eyes wide with horror, he stood rooted to the spot as a strangled sort of cry tore from his throat. Renn's lifeless eyes gazed up at him, refusing to let him look away. The Blue Ranger's body was twisted in a way that human bodies weren't meant to be, his uniform stained with blood._

_Staggering back into the hall, he collapsed against the wall and hung his head forward, trying to just breathe. Trembling all over, he screamed out something he didn't understand and beat his fists against the wall, unable to accept that his friend was... dead. Just... gone._

_His anger vanished, and he tilted his head forward against the wall as he gasped for breath. His eyes clenched shut, but he couldn't keep the images from haunting him._

Ashley jerked awake, distantly wondering if it was herself that she'd heard scream. Pale and sweaty, her first thoughts weren't of why she was dreaming through Andros's eyes--she couldn't do anything but squeeze her eyes shut and try not to think of the mangled, bloody corpse she'd just seen.

Ashley let out an uncertain, shaky breath. Opening her eyes tentatively, she saw Andros still peacefully asleep beside her, completely unaware of her. Laying back down, she snuggled as close as she could to the warmth of his body and fought back the impulse to wake him up.

How could she explain what she'd just seen? And what if it wasn't true? She brightened for a moment as she considered it, but she couldn't bring herself to believe it. He'd told her himself how he'd found his friends.

Ashley tucked her head beneath his chin and buried her face into his chest, struggling to convince herself that it was all right. It was only a nightmare, however strange it was, and it was over now.

She tried to move closer to him, suddenly wanting his arms around her more than she could ever explain. Ashley tensed when she felt him stir, holding herself carefully still as she tried to will him back to sleep. It didn't work, and a moment later, he was blinking sleep out of his eyes.

"Ash?" he muttered, his voice thick. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she mumbled. "Yeah, I--I'm fine."

"I don't believe you," he said quietly, clearing having heard the distress in her voice.

Ashley closed her eyes again as he pressed his lips to her forehead, bunching the front of his t-shirt in her hands as he wrapped one arm around her waist and held her tight. His hands rubbed small circles in her lower back, and slowly the soothing motion began to calm her.

"What's wrong?" His voice was gentle, his arms around her holding her close, and Ashley took a deep breath.

"I--I had this dream," she started, annoyed when she heard how small her voice was. "I was you... I don't know how."

"It's all right," he murmured. "What do you mean, you were me?"

"It was like... a memory," she explained hesitantly.

He looked at her curiously, and she swallowed hard. She didn't want to tell him this... She didn't want to bring back all of that pain.

"Memory?" he prompted her after a moment of silence, and she sighed.

"Yeah," she said tonelessly. "It... wasn't a happy one."

"It's all right," he said again, brushing her hair back from her face. "Tell me what you saw, Ash."

"You..." She let her voice trail off, searching for the right way to say it. "I think... it was the morning that Lyra..."

Andros stiffened, and she didn't bother to finish. "Oh," he said softly. "How much did you see?"

"The Blue Ranger," she whispered, and his arms tightened around her protectively.

"I'm sorry you saw that," he sighed, a heavy sigh escaping him. "I'll try harder not to let those escape. I don't know how you saw that..."

"No," she said firmly. The last thing in the world that she wanted was for him to pull away from her. "No, I'll be fine... I've just never seen anyone look like that before."

"Neither had I," he said quietly, and she felt him slowly let out a deep breath. "I'd never seen a body so close until then, and then I saw Kir and Zyanya..."

A shudder ran through him at the memory, and she clung to him a little more tightly. She should count herself lucky that it was only a nightmare for her. For him, it was reality.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "That's something I never would have wanted you to see."

"I'm okay," she repeated, trying to sound firm. "You?"

"I'm used to it," he muttered. "I try not to think about it."

"Does it help any?"

"Sometimes."

She sighed, and he hugged her a little closer. "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked. "It took months for the nightmares to stop."

"I'll be fine," she insisted. "Really, I will. It's not real to me the way it is to you. It's already fading."

Andros didn't look convinced, but he only rearranged the blankets over her. "I don't know how you saw that," he said softly. "It won't happen again."

"Don't worry about it," she started to tell him. The gentle caress of his mind against hers distracted her, and she lost her train of thought. _"What?"_

_"I'll show you a good memory,"_ he offered, and she couldn't help but smile.

"That's sweet of you," she murmured. "You don't have to."

"I want to," he assured her, a small smile forming on his lips. "But if Zhane ever finds out, I know where to find you."

She couldn't help a soft giggle at his mock threat. "Now this I want to hear..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, never will be. Not for profit.

**Chapter 3**

"Morning..." Ashley rubbed sleep out of her eyes as she wandered into the holding bay the next morning. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, really," Cassie yawned. She caught Ashley's eye and grinned. "Where's Andros?"

"Asleep." Ashley looked away to order herself some food, frowning at the Synthetron. "I think I woke up him three times last night."

"Ash?" Cassie looked at her curiously, nibbling along the crust of her toast. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah..."

"You are not," Carlos said firmly from the doorway. "What's going on?"

"It's not Andros, is it?"

"No, it's not." Ashley grabbed her oatmeal and orange juice from the Synthetron and snagged the stool next to Cassie. "Well, not exactly."

"And _not exactly_ means... what?" Cassie prompted.

"You guys will probably think this is crazy," Ashley began hesitantly. She should have known that was the worst way to kill their curiosity. "But I was having these dreams... I was seeing things through Andros's eyes."

"I don't see what's so bad about that," Carlos told her, and she sighed.

"Well, they were more like nightmares."

"Oh." He swallowed a mouthful of scrambled eggs, nodding his head in sympathy. "How bad were they?"

"I... don't want to talk about that," she muttered. She suppressed a shudder at the memory, and sighed. "It'll fade."

Carlos and Cassie both nodded in acceptance of her words, and Ashley concentrated on eating for a few moments. She wasn't really hungry at all, but how was she supposed to convince them that she was fine if she didn't touch her food?

"Morning, everyone," Zhane yawned, as he stumbled into the room. "I'm starved."

"When are you not?" Andros was right behind him, and Ashley had to smile a little when he came straight to her. "Morning, Ash."

"Hi." When he paused next to her, she leaned over to give him a hug, wrapping her arms tight around his waist. "How are you?"

"Better than you are," he murmured into her hair. He rubbed her shoulder gently with one hand, and sighed. "Did you get any sleep at all?"

"Yeah." She let him hug her for a few moments longer, then pulled away and smiled. "Really, I'm fine."

"What's going on?" Zhane wanted to know, his mouth half-full of toast. "You all right, Ash?"

"I'm fine," she assured him, as she 'heard' Andros speak to him telepathically. When he was this close to her, she felt almost a tickling sensation when he was directing his thoughts at someone that wasn't her; a distracting feeling, though not really an unpleasant one.

Zhane looked at her curiously when Andros finished talking, and for a moment she thought he was going to speak. Whatever it was, he thought better of it and went back to his toast. Ashley shot Andros a questioning look, but he only shook his head and sat down next to her.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" she asked, slapping his hands away when he reached for her oatmeal with a teasing grin. "Mine."

He wrinkled his nose at her, but got up to get his own food. Cassie giggled at the pair of them and Zhane grinned widely, but he kept his mouth shut. Carlos was trying not to laugh and failing miserably, and Ashley felt herself blush.

"What?"

"Don't think that's going to work on us," Cassie warned her, still smiling. "Don't give me that innocent look."

Ashley rolled her eyes, dragging her spoon through her oatmeal. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Andros rejoined them with a plate of something that Ashley would never have labeled as food. Judging from their expressions, Cassie and Carlos were of the same opinion.

"What _is_ that?"

"Isa," Andros replied calmly. "It's Karovan."

"It's goo," Carlos insisted. "I don't care what you say."

Andros shrugged his shoulders and turned towards Ashley. "Would you like to try some?"

"I, um..." Ashley looked at his bowl skeptically. Whatever it was had a smooth texture, but it was the odd greenish color that frightened her just a little bit. "That's all right..."

"It's good, I promise." He pushed the bowl a little closer to her, a mischievous smile on his face. "If you don't like it, I'll take you shopping."

Ashley hesitated. There had been that adorable top she'd seen last time she'd been out with Cassie, and while she was at it, she could probably talk Andros into a few new clothes as well... "That is _so_ not fair," she grumbled, and pulled the spoon out of his hand.

Tentatively, she stuck out her tongue and poked at the goo. Zhane did the same with his own food and Ashley burst out laughing. Andros took the opportunity to push the spoon into her open mouth, smiling at her innocently when she glared at him.

To her surprise, she didn't gag. It was surprisingly sweet, and didn't taste... green at all. It tasted almost like chocolate, really. Ashley swallowed, and pulled the spoon out of her mouth to glare at him some more. He just sat there with that irritatingly cute smirk on his face, and she burst out giggling.

"I told you," he said, clearly satisfied with himself.

Ashley shrugged, grinning. "You owe me a shopping trip."

"I know." He didn't look so smug anymore, and Ashley leaned over to hug him.

"Love you," she murmured.

He kissed the top of her head as he echoed the words, and Ashley closed her eyes for a moment. He wrapped an arm around her and held her close. She hugged him back, not caring that everyone was watching. It was worth their teasing to have him there to hold onto.

* * *

"You guys sure about this?" TJ grinned cockily at Zhane, Karone, and Andros. "We've got you outnumbered." 

"Andros alone can take all of you," Zhane retorted, slinging an arm around the Red Ranger's shoulders. "I thought you'd have learned that the last time we did this."

"Luck." TJ waved a hand dismissively. "We'll get you guys this time."

Zhane shook his head. "Not happening."

"You know," Cassie broke in, "you two could go at this for hours, but can the rest of us get started already?"

"Yes," Andros said firmly. "That sounds like a good idea."

Ashley grinned at him, her fists raised, and he smiled a little. She'd won their last one-on-one sparring match, though they both knew that he'd given up towards the end once she'd kissed him. He had no intentions of doing that again, at least not while there were other people in the room.

All of them started out slowly, quickly working up to a higher level. Cassie had paired herself with Zhane and TJ with Karone, leaving Andros pitted against both Ashley and Carlos. They were both strong, and stronger together--but Zhane hadn't been kidding when he'd said that Andros could beat all of them.

He ducked Ashley's kick and blocked Carlos's punch, flipping himself out of the way. They rushed after him as he put some distance between them and the others, wanting more room to fight. He whirled back around to face them, knocking Ashley's fist out of the way.

She smirked at him and swung her other arm. He caught that one as well, shoving her back just in time to counter Carlos's attack. They both looked disappointed that they hadn't even fazed him, and he would have laughed if he hadn't been short of breath.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cassie flip Zhane over her shoulder. TJ and Karone were still evenly matched, and he hid a smile when his sister nearly stepped on Zhane, who was taking his sweet time getting back up.

Ashley managed to wrap an arm around his neck this time, and he snapped back to attention. Grabbing her before she could lock him into a chokehold, he spun away from her, panting now. The room seemed to have warmed considerably, and he could feel his clothes sticking to his damp skin, clinging to him uncomfortably.

Ashley and Carlos looked much the same way he felt, and that made him a little less annoyed. Somehow, Ashley managed a smile as he rearranged himself into a proper fighting stance, mimicking his actions. He tried not to smile back as he bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, waiting.

"I think we're wearing him down," she said breathlessly, grinning tiredly at Carlos. "What do you say?"

"I think you're going to regret saying that," he answered, his breathing just as heavy. "He's got that look on his face."

Ashley laughed. "That doesn't mean anything."

Andros rolled his eyes at the pair of them and darted forward while they stood around wasting their breath. Ashley didn't move quickly enough and he seized the opportunity. He grabbed her arm and twisted himself around, throwing her forward over his shoulder.

While she recovered, he went straight for Carlos. The Black Ranger dodged him, and Andros rolled out of his way. Leaping back up, he knocked Carlos's foot out of the way, and the other Ranger lost his balance.

Ashley tackled him from the side, her arms around him in a bear hug. It took him a moment to realize that she was just hugging him. Relaxing, he let her kiss his cheek as Carlos climbed, laughing, to his feet.

"Told you," Zhane smirked. "Andros can beat all of you together."

"Including you," Andros reminded him, and heard Ashley giggle.

"Well, that was a good warm-up," Zhane said loudly, taking several steps away from Andros. "Teamup this time?"

"Let's morph," Andros agreed. "Should I program the simulation for Ecliptor?"

"Lyra," Ashley said unexpectedly, and Andros looked at her in surprise.

"Ash..."

"Lyra," she repeated firmly. "Cosmos too."

"Okay," he said quietly. "Anybody else?"

"I'm with Ash on this one," Zhane agreed. "Lyra and Cosmos."

Karone nodded just as the alarms shrieked. Deca quieted the sound slightly once she was sure that they'd all heard it, and Zhane uncovered his ears. "Who and where?"

"Cosmos and Lyra are attacking downtown Angel Grove," Deca reported.

"Looks like we won't need the sim, then," TJ sighed.

Andros pushed stray hairs out of his face and flipped open his morpher. "Everybody ready?"

Six nods answered him, and all seven of them shouted together, "Let's rocket!"

* * *

**A/N:** And we have some action now... Finally. This chapter is for **Tal**--thanks for your help with that first scene. ;) Hope it was worth the wait; please review! 


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 4**

They were late. Hmm... neglecting their sworn duty? Lyra smirked to herself as she waited, almost bored. The civilians had fled at first sight, and it was hardly entertaining to shoot at the quantrons. Well... _Only for the first few minutes._

Her eyes flicked to the side at the first sign of motion, and she sighed when it was only Cosmos shifting position. He crouched in the tree to her left, at a height that would put him more or less even with the Rangers on their gliders.

"Where _are_ they?" she whined, delivering a swift kick to the tree trunk. It wobbled.

"_Don't_ do that," he said sharply, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Since when are you afraid of heights?"

"I'm not," he said, irritated. "But until I have the Red Ranger's morpher again, my powers are limited to teleportation and not healing, so if you want to decimate this tree, I'll find another one."

"Teleport yourself in midair," she retorted, frowning to herself. They were still after Andros's morpher? Really? It had been too much fun doing all that to him that she'd forgotten there was a reason for it.

She found that oddly disturbing. How did she just _forget_ why she was trying to kill someone? Or not kill, as seemed to be the case with Andros. It was just more fun that way.

"Where are they?" Cosmos echoed her earlier words, sounding frustrated. "There's seven of them! How do they not know we're here?"

"Give them another few minutes," she suggested. "Then we'll just start blowing apart the buildings to get their attention."

"Why wait?"

She laughed softly and shook her head, leaning back against the tree trunk. The breeze picked up as she crossed her arms, keeping an eye out for the Rangers.

* * *

Zhane hit the ground hard, his knees jarring on the pavement. Rolling over, he hopped back up and clenched one hand over his Silverizer. He looked towards Ecliptor and took aim, lowering the weapon when Andros and TJ both rushed forward in their own attacks. He was more likely to shoot one of them. 

TJ overswung his ax, and Ecliptor slashed him across the chest. Zhane winced when the Blue Ranger went down, slowly moving closer. Karone and Cassie kept TJ from losing his head, and Zhane took his chance. Darting under Cassie's arm, he fired.

Ecliptor stumbled back and TJ straightened up. Zhane saw Ashley and Carlos throw some quantrons out of their way and fall in line beside him, TJ and Cassie on his other side with Karone slightly in front of him. It didn't occur to him that he hadn't counted six other Rangers until he fired just as Andros charged in to attack.

The Red Ranger yelped in pain and Zhane winced, dropping his arm back down as he ran over to help Andros off the ground. His friend cradled one arm to his chest, and hissed softly as he straightened up, causing Zhane to wonder if he'd been hit somewhere else too.

"Are you all right?"

"That's the dumbest question you've asked in awhile," Andros muttered. "You shot at me!"

"I did not!"

"Andros!" Ashley elbowed Zhane out of her way, laying a concerned hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Zhane noted that Ashley didn't get snapped at for asking the exact same question that he had, but then, he wasn't sleeping with Andros and she hadn't shot him.

"You are not," Ashley said firmly, and Zhane had the strangest sense that she was glaring at him. "Med bay."

Ecliptor vanished just then, taking the quantrons with him. Zhane found that a bit odd, but he wasn't going to question it.

"I'm with Ash on this," he said guiltily. He _had_ been the one to fire the blast, after all. "You should get to the med bay."

Andros muttered something under his breath that Zhane couldn't understand, but relented without much of an argument. That was worrying in itself, but Zhane just raised his communicator to his mouth and ordered Deca to teleport them aboard.

* * *

"Since when do Rangers not show up for battle?" Lyra scowled at Elgar, who had the misfortune of standing nearest to her. "What did you do?" 

"What?" He scratched his head as he stared at her. "Oh! Well, the quantrons in the Velocifighter bay wanted to--"

"Oh, shut up, you idiot," she snapped, and zapped him. "Where's Cosmos?"

"Oh, he was... uh..."

Lyra growled a curse, and glanced around for a quantron. "Take him to play with Scrudly."

She rubbed her forehead with a sigh, and then stormed off of the Bridge to her quarters. Cosmos sat at the small table in the corner, contentedly eating his lunch.

"Hungry?"

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, her temper getting the better of her. "Why are you sitting around eating when we need to know why the Rangers--"

"Didn't show up because Ecliptor went down and fought them," he finished for her, almost smugly. "Oh, and the Red Ranger was injured in the crossfire."

"Oh." She paused, letting out a deep breath. "Injured how?"

He snorted. "The Silver Ranger shot him."

"Really?" That brought a smile to her face, and she had to laugh as she headed towards the Synthetron. "How badly was he hurt?"

"His left wrist was the worst, but if you watch the battle yourself, it looks like his side and his thigh were hit." Cosmos didn't bother to hide a gleeful smile. "Hopefully he'll be out for a day or two."

She nodded slowly. "That gives us some time to think of something else... I think we need to get onto the Megaship again."

He nodded in agreement, and wiped his mouth. "We could try asking, but he's not that stupid. Anymore."

"Well..." She considered that for a few moments. "I wouldn't want to dangerously underestimate his intelligence."

"We could always capture the Yellow Ranger again."

"Eh." Lyra made a face. "I'm bored with her. And she's managed to escape every time. Zhane or Karone would be better."

He chewed thoughtfully for a few moments. "Karone."

"Okay." She nodded. "We'll--"

"Work out the details later," he finished for her. Setting his empty plate to the side, he stood and crossed the room to her. "I've got a better idea for right now."

She wrinkled her nose when he kissed her. "You taste funny."

He sighed and went to rinse out his mouth. Lyra laughed and grabbed his arm as soon as he'd spat out the water, pushing him towards the bed.

* * *

"You'll be fine in a few days," Ashley assured Andros as she finished wrapping his wrist. "I think your suit absorbed most of it." 

"Isn't the Power great?" Zhane shifted uncomfortably, his face guilty. He'd been apologetic and helpful once they'd established that he hadn't been shooting _at_ Andros, he'd only shot him.

Andros glared at him, and Ashley caught his arm when he moved to slide off the bed. "It wasn't just your wrist," she reminded him. "Let me see your side. And your leg."

"It doesn't hurt," he insisted.

"I'm sure it doesn't," Zhane snorted. "Don't make me sedate you."

Andros sighed. "I'll go take care of it on my own."

Ashley had a sudden flashback to their first meeting, and giggled softly to herself. When they both looked at her strangely, she caught Andros's eye, and smirked. "Take off your pants."

He looked confused for a moment, then he winced and flushed red. She bit her lip to keep herself from laughing too much, and leaned over to hug him hard. He sighed but wrapped an arm around her waist, though she just knew he was rolling his eyes.

Zhane watched them with ill-concealed glee. "Whatever it is, I want to hear it."

"No," Andros said firmly. "Get out of here."

"I'll tell you later if he doesn't behave," Ashley promised, cheerfully ignoring the look Andros shot at her.

"That's not fair," he complained. "I really am all right."

"You remember the day that you and Karone found us?" Ashley began, and Andros was suddenly much more cooperative.

Zhane produced a blanket for Andros to wrap around himself, and they encountered little resistance getting the rest of his clothes off. It really wasn't half as bad as Ashley had initially thought--his side had been burned by the laser, but his thigh just looked faintly pink.

"I told you--" Andros ground his teeth together when Ashley dabbed his skin with disinfectant. "It's nothing to be worried about."

"Whenever you say that, it's something to worry about," Zhane informed him, as he handed Andros several bandages. "And... sorry," he added sheepishly. "Looks like we needed that training sim."

Andros rolled his eyes with a sigh, and shook his head. "I'm fine."

"So he keeps saying," Ashley remarked, and brushed her lips against his bare shoulder. "But if it was me, I don't think it would be so fine."

Andros didn't answer, and the burns were soon hidden beneath bandages. Ashley handed him his clothes back and he redressed himself quickly, his injured wrist not seeming to give him any problems.

"Feel better?" she asked, smiling when he wrapped his good arm around her and pulled her close.

"Thanks," he said softly, and kissed her cheek.

His lips were soft against her skin, and she smiled when somehow that was enough to make her feel tingly and warm. He smiled when she hugged his neck, and sighed in her ear.

"Love you," he whispered.

When she looked around, Zhane was gone and it was just the two of them left in the med bay. Ashley smiled and tugged on his good arm, her hand finding his as they left the room as well. She wasn't surprised when they found themselves in his room, in his bed.

Andros lay on his right side, for obvious reasons not wanting to put weight on his left side. Ashley curled up against his chest and closed her eyes while he stroked her hair with one hand, his fingertips trailing lightly over her eyebrows and down her nose.

"That feels nice," she murmured, when he ran his fingers through her hair. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"You're the one who said I'd be fine in a few days," he reminded her, a touch of amusement in his voice. "It doesn't hurt so much."

"That's good..." She stifled a yawn with her hand, wondering why she was suddenly so sleepy. Well, besides not having slept the night before.

"Tired?"

"A little," she admitted. "I didn't sleep so well after..."

"I know." He kissed the top of her head with a quiet sigh. "I'm sorry about that."

"You've said that already," she murmured. "And I don't see how it was your fault to begin with."

She was a little surprised when he decided not to argue. "Get some rest, Ash," he said softly. "I'll wake you up if you start having nightmares."

"You're not going to sleep?" Ashley opened one eye, and saw him shake his head.

"Not tired," he said with a shrug. A mischievous smile formed on his face. "Besides, I like watching you sleep."

That brought a smile to her face, and she snuggled closer. Andros was never cuter than when he slept, and she didn't think she'd ever have enough of watching him.

"Okay," she whispered, her words swallowed by another yawn. "Night."

Andros held her close, pressing a kiss into her hair. "Night."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Yes! I'm finally back on track with this story! Updates should be weekly again with "Let Come What May" finished, and I have tons written for where I currently am in "All I Am." I hope you like the chapter, please review.  



	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

**Chapter 5**

Giggling at the smug look on Andros's face, Ashley hugged him closer and grinned. "Okay," she said, breathing heavily still. "You're healed."

He smirked, rolling to the side without releasing her. "I told you."

She couldn't seem to stop giggling, though it really wasn't funny. He didn't say anything, just rubbing her back until she'd calmed down. Slowly, Ashley got her breath back and snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest.

"Can I ask you something?"

"If you want to."

She almost changed her mind then, but her mouth opened and she blurted out, "How many times have you done this?"

He tensed just enough that she knew it was a stupid question. "Does it matter?"

"Well, no... not really." She sighed, closing her eyes. "I was just wondering. You don't _have _to answer."

"Oh." Andros was silent for a moment. "You really want to know?" he asked finally, and she nodded.

"Yeah," she admitted. "I do."

He mumbled something that she couldn't understand. When she opened her eyes and drew away to look at him, he sighed and looked away. "Three," he muttered, and she stared at him in surprise. Unnecessarily, he added, "Twice with you."

"But--Zeah... I thought you had..." Ashley looked away and shook her head. "Sorry," she murmured. "Now I'm just being nosy."

"You are," he agreed, but shrugged and sat up. "Zhane and Karone think we did too. It wasn't that we... didn't _want_ to... we just..."

"Never got to it?" she said, and he shook his head.

"Not exactly," he muttered. "We started to... once, but we never... and three days later, she was gone."

"Oh." She didn't know what to say to that.

"Happy now?" he asked, and she winced.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I shouldn't have asked."

Andros let out a heavy sigh and looked away. "I didn't mean to sound like that," he muttered. "I just... I don't want to talk about it, but if I don't answer..."

"You don't have to."

"But you want me to." He still wasn't looking at her. "And it bothers you that I don't."

His tone was carefully neutral, but she could see the troubled look on his face all too clearly. Ashley sighed and laid her hand on his shoulder, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

"A little bit," she admitted. "But Andros... I'm just curious. I don't really have a reason for asking and if you tell me not to, I won't ask anymore."

"You can always ask," he told her softly. "I don't mind that."

Ashley nodded slowly. He'd always answered her before, always, no matter what the question. Granted, she hadn't been digging into his sex life, but... Ashley shook her head with a sigh. She was being irrational and she knew it.

"I'm sorry," she said again, and slid her arms around his neck. "I love you."

He relaxed, reaching up with one hand to touch her fingers. "Love you too."

She slid closer to him, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck. Andros let out a quiet sigh and for a moment she thought he would pull away, but then his head tilted forward. Ashley smiled to herself and searched for the pulse point on his neck, nibbling when she found it. He moaned softly, turning in her arms to face her again as he reached down to pull the covers up over them again.

* * *

"You're beautiful, you know." He breathed his words into her ear, and felt her squirm as it tickled. "Well, you _are._"

"You're sweet," she whispered. There was a sudden coolness against his chest when she rolled away from him onto her back, stretching her shoulders. "And yeah, I know."

She paused for a moment, then giggled breathlessly. "But it's still nice to hear it."

He swallowed down a laugh, scooting closer to her. "You're beautiful," he repeated quietly, tucking his head against her shoulder. "You're..."

Andros felt himself blush, but he let out a deep breath and said it anyway. "You're everything," he murmured, rubbing his sweaty palms dry on the sheets. "I don't want to know what I'd do without you."

"That's... really sweet of you." Ashley didn't say anything else for a few moments, only letting out a deep breath. She turned towards him again, her lips brushing across his forehead. "You won't have to find out."

Andros closed his eyes against the tidal wave of emotion that swept through him at her words, hugging her tight. "Thank you," he muttered.

She touched his hair in reply, snuggling closer. "Love you."

He didn't answer. Suddenly tired, he yawned and breathed in the sweet smell of her hair until Ashley gently pushed him away. A small sound of protest slipped out of him when she sat up, as he fought the urge to drag her back down to him.

"Stay," he insisted, his fingers encircling her wrist. "Why do you need to go?"

Ashley laughed softly and leaned down again to kiss his ear. "I'll be right back," she promised him, her fingers trailing through his hair. "I need a shower."

"Can't it wait?"

"Silly." She laughed at him as she slid out of bed. "I'll be back in ten minutes."

Andros sat up reluctantly when the bathroom door shut behind Ashley and somehow managed to force himself out of bed. Tossing the two pillows to the side, he stripped off the sheet and blanket, dropping them on the floor. With a heavy sigh, he turned and pulled open the bottom drawer of his dresser. Andros didn't bother tucking in the sheet or the blanket, rolling back into bed and dragging the covers up over his head as soon as the bottom sheet was on.

The bathroom door opened again and Ashley walked out, wearing his warm-up sweatshirt and not much else. He grinned as the light from the bathroom illuminated her long legs, unreasonably pleased that she wore his color so well.

"What?" She dropped down onto the mattress beside him again, stretching out on her stomach. "Why are you smiling?"

"You look pretty in red," he informed her, and laughed when she poked his shoulder. "Well, you do."

"Maybe I'll wear it more often, then," she teased, giggling when he couldn't hide his smile. "Do you have any idea how cute you are?"

He closed his eyes, still grinning to himself as the image of her in a red dress popped up into his mind. He found he rather liked the idea. "You should."

"I hardly own any red." Ashley trailed a finger feather-light across his chest, causing goosebumps to rise up on his arms and a shiver to ripple through him. "You'll have to take me shopping."

He rolled his eyes at the too-innocent smile on her face, letting out a sigh. "It might be worth it," he mused to himself aloud, and she laughed.

"You're the greatest." She beamed at him, snuggling up to his side. "We'll have to go to the movies while we're there."

Andros didn't quite understand why she would want to spend money on two tickets and drinks when they wouldn't pay attention to more than ten minutes of the movie, but... he had no intentions of sharing his feelings.

"Sounds fun," was all he said, rolling onto his side to hug her. He touched her damp hair with one hand, frowning when her hair didn't smell the way it was supposed to.

"It's your shampoo." Ashley pressed a kiss to his neck and laughed. "I smell like you."

"Your shampoo smells better," he muttered sheepishly.

Laughing again, Ashley rubbed her nose against his shoulder. "I like how you smell," she informed him. "When you're not all sweaty, anyway."

She nuzzled him with her cheek this time, and he frowned suddenly, struck with the realization of how... intimate this all was; her, here with him, wearing his clothes... They lay curled up comfortably in his bed, relaxed in each others arms. Her body felt so familiar against his own, so right that for an instant he could almost believe that it had always been just the two of them. _"You're everything,"_ he'd told her only a few moments ago, and he hadn't had any idea how true it was until now.

"Something's bothering you."

Startled, he looked at her and shook his head. "No."

"You're all tense," she murmured, yawning. "What is it?"

He knew better than to say 'nothing.' "I was just thinking."

"About?" she prompted, when he didn't elaborate. "Andros?"

"You," he murmured, after a moment of further thought. "Us."

"Oh." She was silent then, and he wondered if she was remembering his earlier irritation.

Andros felt a twinge of guilt for being short-tempered with her, and sighed. He wouldn't make her drag it out of him this time. "I just realized... I love you."

Ashley let out her breath quickly, not quite smothering her laugh. "Well... that's good," she muttered into his shoulder. "Since you've been saying it for months now."

"And I've always meant it." He squeezed her shoulders hard, and sighed. Idly, he stroked her hair, searching for the right words. "But... I hadn't realized how much you feel a part of me," he said awkwardly, not knowing how else to put it but knowing that she wouldn't laugh at him. "I don't... I don't want that to change."

"Me either," she said softly, when his voice trailed off. "I've never felt so close to anyone before, and I... it feels... safe," she decided, and drew herself in closer to him. "It's nice just to fall asleep with you."

She yawned again, and he decided that was a hint. It was the middle of the night, after all, and he'd thrown off both their sleep cycles by taking a nap with her in the middle of the day. Rearranging the blankets over her, Andros kissed her hair and closed his eyes.

"Get some sleep," he murmured into her ear. "You need it."

"Mmm..." Ashley nodded her head slowly up and down, and sighed. "This," she muttered drowsily. "This is nice... Sometimes I think I could spend forever with you just like this."

"I think I could too," he agreed quietly, frowning when he felt her pull away from him. He opened his eyes to find himself staring straight into her own, and looked at her uncertainly. "What?"

"When you say that... how serious are you?" she wanted to know, and he felt a brief flash of his earlier annoyance before he could help himself.

"How serious are you?" He returned the question, his voice sharper than normal. "Ash, I wouldn't be here with you right now if I wasn't serious. You know that."

Ashley didn't flinch at his tone. If anything, he thought she looked inexplicably pleased. "That's how I feel," she said softly, steadily holding his gaze.

"And sorry," she added sheepishly. "That wasn't supposed to sound that way."

"I know." He smiled at her to show that he understood, and stifled a yawn of his own. "Ash... I meant it."

"I know." She lay down again next to him, her fingers trailing along his arm as she made herself comfortable again. "Me too."

Andros bit his lip before he could say any more. Carlos had told him something of Earth's traditions, but he couldn't ask as many as he'd wanted to while still appearing perfectly casual. He suspected that the Black Ranger hadn't been entirely fooled, but as long as nothing made its way back to Ashley he didn't care.

He couldn't ask her yet. She still had school to finish, and they were in the middle of a war. Andros didn't dare do anything that might upset the balance they'd struck between their obligations to others and what they felt for each other--not to mention, she wasn't Karovan and he wasn't sure if it was too soon to ask her. But someday... he would. Someday he would spend forever with her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** The Power Rangers are not mine.

::cries:: I think I've become way too attatched to these characters over the last year and a half, but I should stop stalling now...

**Chapter 6**

"And where have you two been?" Zhane smirked behind his glass as Andros and Ashley strolled into the holding bay hand in hand. "It's almost lunchtime."

"Andros couldn't sleep," Ashley said sweetly. "He was recovering from yesterday."

His friend looked entirely too innocent when Zhane turned a sharp gaze towards him, but they both kept their faces perfectly straight until Zhane looked away in defeat.

"Fine," he relented, and paused. "How are you?"

"Fine," Andros insisted. "The Power healed me completely in hours."

"Oh?" Zhane brightened then, arching an eyebrow. "I thought you were still recovering."

"Oh." Andros looked up at the ceiling, blushing sheepishly when he couldn't seem to find an appropriate response. "Sorry," he muttered towards Ashley, who just giggled at him.

"Hey, he doesn't say anything about you and Karone," Ashley reminded him, and Zhane had to admit that was true. But that was different. Entirely different, and he told her so.

"Mm-hmm," was the only reply she made, as she selected a muffin from the Synthetron and seated herself on the stool next to Andros's.

The fingers of her left hand brushed lightly against his cheek before trailing down over his shoulder and arm to clasp his hand beneath the table. Zhane saw Andros smile at the caress and he smirked at the two of them, hiding a pleased smile. Ashley loved Andros; she would never hurt him. Of course, he'd thought that about Lyra too, but he'd been what, fifteen? Ashley really loved Andros.

For a moment, Zhane thought of going off in search of Karone but she was probably only halfway through her workout now, and she wouldn't appreciate the interruption. He refilled his juice instead, trying not to snort any up his nose when Ashley offered Andros a bite of muffin. To Zhane's surprise, he actually took it, chewing slowly as he kept his eyes somewhere between the table and Ashley.

The somewhat amusing display of sickening sweetness was cut short when the alarm shrilled, and all three of them abandoned what they were doing. Zhane slipped a hand into his pocket, retrieving his Digimorpher while Andros questioned Deca.

"Lyra at the park," the Red Ranger sighed. "Let's go."

* * *

There they were. She laughed softly to herself as they all came running, flying in on their gliders. Snapping her fingers, Lyra called for her staff. It appeared instantly and she curled her fingers around it, holding it steady before her. 

"So good to see you again," she greeted them cheerfully. "Any chance you'll surrender?"

"Why do you even ask?"

"Because it's you, Andros." She smiled at him, flipping back her hair. "There's always a chance."

"Are we thinking of the same Andros?" the Black Ranger demanded.

"Obviously not," Zhane agreed. "Our Andros is stubborn to the point of stupidity. He doesn't surrender even when he should."

Lyra thought she heard Karone laugh, and rolled her eyes. "Only until someone gets taken hostage," she responded calmly. "That seems to make the lot of you a whole lot more cooperative."

Andros inched noticeably towards Ashley, and Lyra couldn't help but laugh. Snapping her fingers, she summoned the quantrons. The Rangers fell back defensively immediately, and she smiled. Exactly as they were supposed to.

"What are you waiting for?" she snapped at her army. "I want at least one of them tied up on the Dark Fortress by lunchtime."

She darted towards Ashley, swinging her staff at the Yellow Ranger's chest. The other girl leapt back out of her way, flipping herself around in midair. Lyra kept after her and out of the corner of her eye, saw Andros follow. This was all going according to plan, then, she thought with a satisfied smile. The Rangers wouldn't know that she wasn't after Ashley this time until it was too late, and Andros would be getting his dear little sister back in pieces.

Lyra ducked as Ashley fired her Star Slinger, straightening up again as it hit the ground harmlessly. Her staff blocked Andros's saber, and she found the time to kick him hard in the ribs before she went for Ashley again.

She snuck a quick glance over her shoulder as she moved forward, pleased to see the other Rangers struggling to hold their own against the quantrons. She'd ordered practically every last one of them on the Dark Fortress into battle this time, and while that had left the ship vulnerable to attack, the Rangers were down here. Who else was going to attack them?

"Andros!" Ashley's head tilted towards him as he straightened up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he assured her, and Lyra rolled her eyes.

As long as nothing was chopped off, he'd heal completely, and she knew that Ashley knew that. She probably hadn't even bruised his ribs.

Andros lunged for her again and she darted out of the way, laughing in delight when he very nearly sliced open Ashley's throat. His reflexes were too quick, though, and he caught himself, whirling back around to face her. Still, she knew he had to be shaken.

"Careful with that," she teased, her staff meeting his saber in midair. "You could hurt someone with it, you know."

He growled something at her that she couldn't quite understand, but she took it to mean that she was getting to him. Good. She shoved him out of her way in order to drive the end of her staff hard into Ashley's stomach, smiling in satisfaction when the Yellow Ranger grunted in pain.

Andros was momentarily distracted by Ashley's groan of pain, and Lyra didn't waste her chance. She kicked him hard, aiming to drive her heel deep into his stomach. She hadn't counted on him moving so quickly towards Ashley, though, and missed, the ball of her foot connecting with his ribcage.

Something snapped audibly and Andros froze for a split second, his saber slipping from his fingers. It had time to clatter to the ground before he screamed, doubling over as he clutched his chest with one hand, the other supporting him as his knees buckled.

"Andros!" Ashley shouted his name and rushed towards him, and Lyra saw the Pink and Silver Rangers turn their heads in their direction.

Well, as long as they were moving towards Andros and away from Karone... Lyra kicked Ashley across the back, nearly sending her sprawling across Andros. Somehow she managed to regain her balance and stood in front of him protectively, her weapon trained firmly on Lyra.

"You're in my way," Lyra said calmly, slowly angling her staff towards Andros. "Step a few inches to the left, would you?"

"Get away from them," Zhane shouted, fighting his way towards the three of them, the Pink Ranger just beside him. The other three Rangers were a good ten feet behind them now, and Lyra smiled. That was more than enough.

She shouted the order and the quantrons swarmed around the Blue, Black, and Violet Rangers, too many of them to be fought off. Zhane turned back towards them when Karone shouted but it was too late; the three Rangers were gone before he could take more than a few steps towards them.

"Carlos!" Ashley shouted, her attention diverted away from Andros. "Karone!"

"TJ!" the Pink Ranger called, as though expecting an answer.

"You do know that they can't hear you?"

Lyra paused for a moment before stepping away just enough to give her a clear shot at Andros. Ashley didn't catch on quickly enough, only crying out in alarm as the Red Ranger's body was suddenly engulfed in a bright wave of electricity.

Andros cried out in pain as his body convulsed under the attack, collapsing all the way to the ground. His morph brightened for an instant before it vanished, and she smiled at him as their eyes met.

"You didn't like that?"

He closed his eyes for an instant, his face pale in pain. Hands clenched at his side, she thought he started to struggle to his feet before someone pushed him back down.

"Y--you... Release them," he ordered weakly, his breathing labored. "Now."

"Now why would I go and do a silly thing like that?" she wanted to know, laughing when he looked away. "I've only just gotten started... which do you prefer to be next, Ashley or Zhane?"

She chose for him when he didn't answer, her eyes landing on the Silver Ranger. "I wonder what you and Karone would do to keep each other alive," she mused, taking a step towards him. "Let's start with you... Andros doesn't seem to mind."

He started to retort, but the deafening blast almost in her ear swallowed the sound. She was swept off her feet by the force of it, her body twisting as she fell. The roar in her ears she knew was Cosmos, but why would he be shouting for her now?

Her eyes met Andros's, shock so clear in his face and it dawned on her then why she felt nothing at all. He didn't look away and she almost wanted to laugh; she knew what he was thinking.

In a rush, the world went red. She'd always known that the Yellow Ranger wanted to kill her. She'd never dreamed that she actually would.

* * *

"I--I--I didn't mean to," Ashley whispered, trembling in Cassie's arms. "I didn't, I didn't really... I don't know why I..." 

"Shh," her friend murmured, hugging her harder. "It'll be fine, Ash. We'll get them back, and it'll be okay."

"But I killed her," she screamed, squeezing her eyes shut. "I've never killed anybody before."

"I know."

"Andros," she mumbled. "I--I need to... need to see him. I have to talk to him."

"He's still in the med bay," Cassie reminded her, stroking her hair. "He promised he'd come as soon as he could, remember?"

"I... no..." Ashley closed her eyes, opening them again when all she saw was that lifeless stare. "But... I... is he angry?"

"No," Cassie said firmly. "He's just a little stunned, like we all are. We're not upset with you, Ash, I promise."

"But I killed her. I didn't mean to kill her, really I didn't... she just wouldn't stop hurting him and then she was going to... Zhane..."

"I know," Cassie said patiently, letting her babble for awhile longer. "It's okay, Ash. It'll be okay."

Ashley just nodded, crying softly on Cassie's shoulder. She couldn't seem to make her hands stop shaking and balled them into fists, clinging to her friend while she tried so hard not to think of anything else. Especially not how Lyra had looked lying there on the ground, glassy-eyed and unmoving...

There was a quiet knock on the door then, and Cassie called for whoever it was to come in. Andros and Zhane stood in the doorway, the bulge of the bone regenerator visible beneath Andros's shirt. Ashley let go of Cassie only to grab onto him instead, burying her face into his chest.

"Ash," Zhane started, but Andros cut him off before he could get any farther.

"The two of us aren't allowed out of bed until absolutely necessary," he said, softly rubbing her shoulders. "I'll stay with you while they search for the others, if that's what you want."

She just nodded, still shaking. Andros sighed quietly in her ear and hugged her tight, his arms and legs wrapped around her as he held her as close as he could.

"I'm sorry," she whispered against his neck, swallowing a sob. "I didn't mean to."

"I know." Andros let her curl up against him, tucking her head beneath his chin. "You don't have to be sorry."

"But I killed her." She squeezed her eyes shut, her face hidden against his shoulder. "I didn't want to k--kill her..."

Her voice faded into sobs again and Andros didn't reply. He only rocked her back and forth while she cried, stroking her hair as he tried to calm her. Ashley tried a few times to control herself but found that she couldn't and in the end, just gave up, crying in his arms until she couldn't cry anymore.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 7**

"How is she?"

"Sleeping." Andros looked up briefly, glancing down again as he met Zhane's eye. "Cassie said she'd check up on her."

"Really, how is she?" Zhane asked. "And how are you?"

"She'll be okay." Andros stared hard at the console in front of him. "I'm fine."

"Are you?"

"Yes," he snapped shortly. "I am. And I'm trying to find the rest of the team right now."

"If you say so." Zhane studied him dubiously, obviously unconvinced. "Look... all I'm saying is that you have--had--a complicated history with Lyra. Now that she's gone..."

Andros shook his head slowly. "I'll be fine," he said softly. "Really, I will be. It's Ashley that I'm worried about."

"You can go sit with her," Zhane told him, sliding into the seat next to him. "I'll be fine here."

Andros hesitated. "In a little while," he said finally. "I'll do what I can before she wakes up."

"And then you're not leaving her," Zhane finished for him, and sighed. "It's just as well, you're not fighting anyone until your ribs heal."

Unconsciously, he touched his chest. The regenerator sped his healing and he would be back to normal in under a day, but--it still hurt to breathe. "I know."

He shook his head and tried to focus on what he was supposed to be doing. Deca couldn't find any trace of TJ, Carlos, or Karone and no matter how much he suspected that they were on the Dark Fortress, Andros wouldn't order an invasion of the enemy battleship. Especially not now and especially not after how well his own mission there had gone.

A faint smile touched his lips as he remembered the night he'd snuck onto the Dark Fortress in hopes of getting his morpher back. He'd never expected that Ashley would follow him, though he really should be grateful that she had. She'd saved his life that night and he'd finally worked up the courage to kiss her.

"Anything?"

"Still no." Zhane leaned back unhappily in his seat, arms folded across his chest. "I can't hear Karone, either."

That was never good, and Andros felt his stomach tighten in concern for his twin. She was the only family he had left and he couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to lose her.

"I... I'm sure she's fine," he said lamely.

"Yeah." Zhane agreed too quickly, nodding his head. "Hey, why don't you go keep Ash company for awhile? Tell Cassie I could use her help up here."

Andros rolled his eyes at the less-than-subtle hint for him to leave, but went along with it anyway. He'd gotten nothing done in the last two hours and all he really wanted to do was sit with Ashley and make sure that she was all right.

Cassie was just leaving Ashley's room as he approached it. He looked at her curiously and she offered him a sigh and a tight smile.

"She's okay," Cassie said softly. "Or she seems to be."

Andros nodded in acknowledgment of her words, guilt stabbing into the pit of his stomach. Ashley shouldn't have had to be the one to kill Lyra; he'd had dozens of chances before the two of them had ever met. But he hadn't and now she was hurting because of it.

With a sigh, he knocked lightly on Ashley's door. "Can I come in?"

* * *

Oddball purred softly when she scratched beneath his chin, rolling over onto his back in a demand for more attention. Ashley smiled faintly and hugged her cat, letting out a deep breath as she calmed a little.

She groaned and shook her head when there was a knock on the door. She heard Andros's voice on the other side and for a moment was tempted to shout at him to leave. She didn't, and sat up as the door opened for him.

"Hi," he said quietly.

"Hi," she said, her voice as soft as his. "Where'd you go?"

"Zhane wanted some help searching for the others." Andros slowly sat down on the edge of her bed, one hand on his ribs as he winced. "Did you get some rest?"

"Some." Ashley shuddered at the lingering visions from her nightmares, hugging her arms to her chest. "I... can't really sleep."

"Oh." He nodded sympathetically, swinging his legs up onto the bed. "That might last for awhile."

He'd been there, she remembered suddenly, and let him pull her closer. Different circumstances, maybe, but he'd been in her place once and he understood.

"What was it like?" she wanted to know. "For you."

Andros let out a slow sigh, shaking his head. "I... Do you really want to know?"

"Please." Ashley nodded without hesitation, her fingers searching for his. Some part of her knew that she shouldn't be asking him this, that she shouldn't do this to him, but she couldn't help herself.

She'd _killed_ someone. She hadn't wanted to, but she still had and it didn't matter how many times Lyra had threatened to kill her or Andros or any of them. She'd still killed her and all she wanted to do now was curl up and hide from it.

"I... I couldn't stop thinking about her," he started, his voice soft and not quite steady. "Every time I closed my eyes, I'd see her just watching me... it was months before I stopped dreaming of her."

"Oh." Ashley shut her eyes, trying not to imagine the torture that it would be to relive that moment time after time, asleep and in dreams... She remembered Andros as he had been when they had first met and shook her head in denial. How long would she be haunted?

"I shouldn't have said that," he muttered. "I'm sorry, Ash."

"I..." She couldn't think of anything to say. "But... why does it hurt so much?" she finally whispered, her fingers squeezing his hard. "I--I wanted her gone."

"I know." Andros kissed her hair, soothingly rubbing her shoulders. "I'm sorry," he said again. "You shouldn't have had to be the one to kill her."

"But..." But Lyra would have killed him, or at the very least hurt him badly. Ashley bit her lip. "I..."

Andros held her a little closer, not stilling the gentle motion of his hands on her back. "We're not... angry with you," he said softly. "If that's what you're worried about."

That sounded so strange coming from him that she almost wanted to laugh. Andros had been so afraid of losing Karone and Zhane that he'd kept his mouth shut for almost two years, haunted by guilt with no one to help him.

"I--I've never killed anyone before." She thought that she'd said that before, but all she could do was sit there in his arms, shaking, as she tried not to think of it.

"I know." He sighed softly and tightened his arms around her, touching his lips to her forehead. "We're not leaving you, Ash. I... I love you."

He added the last three words tentatively, and Ashley hugged him harder until she heart him groan softly in pain. She hadn't realized until then how badly she'd needed to hear those words.

"I love you too," she whispered. "Please don't leave again."

"I won't," he promised her quietly. "I'll stay with you as long as you need me to."

Ashley nodded her head slowly, carefully loosening her arms from around his waist. Andros shifted and she lay down with her head in his lap, impossibly managing to drift off to sleep again.

* * *

"Well, this sucks."

"My head hurts."

"Shh."

"Well, it does hurt."

"_Shh._" Karone elbowed the Black Ranger in the ribs. "I'm trying to listen."

"Oh." Carlos rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Did I miss something?"

"I think we all did," TJ explained. "But we were unconscious, too, so we don't know."

"But something's definitely going on." Hands on her hips, Karone paced back and forth impatiently. "For one, we've been here hours now and no one's come to feed us, threaten us, torture us--"

"We get the picture." Carlos sighed. "Now what?"

"I guess we wait." Karone sighed unhappily. "I can't get through to either Zhane or Andros. They must be going crazy."

"How do you stand it?" Carlos wanted to know. "Living on that ship with your overprotective brother and overprotective boyfriend."

"Zhane's not my boyfriend, exactly." She shrugged. "It's sort of cute. Sometimes, and when it's not, they leave me alone if I make it clear."

Painfully clear, she added silently and almost laughed. And even then, Andros was too dense to get it but she thought she understood why now. It made her furious sometimes, that he had been so hurt and so lonely and neither she nor Zhane had ever noticed. Since the day he was born six minutes ahead of her, he'd been her protector and she loved him for it--sometimes. But who had he had?

"You all right?" TJ touched her shoulder, and she sighed.

"I'm fine," she said, and pressed her ear to the door another time. Whoever had been on the other side had moved on. She straightened up with a frown.

"Zhane's not your boyfriend?" Carlos looked at her curiously. "If I'm allowed to ask, I mean."

"I think the equivalent term for it in your culture would be 'fiancé,'" she said. "We know that we're bonded to each other, but we never had any sort of official ceremony."

"Why not?"

She couldn't help laughing a little this time. "Well, mostly because we were fifteen at the time and our parents wouldn't have approved. Zhane's parents would have tried to convince him that he wasn't feeling what he thought he was, and mine... well, they would have said that we were too young. Relationships can go... terribly wrong sometimes."

"Oh."

She nodded slowly. "It's supposed to be perfect, the idea that two people are the two halves of a whole. But, well, there are people that hate themselves."

She remembered being terrified that that's what had happened to Andros, though she'd never said it even to him. Fortunately, she had been completely wrong and he was happy now.

"So they can't stand each other?"

"Something like that," Karone said, and sighed. "It can get complicated."

"Sounds like it."

Karone leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. "Enough of this; we've got to figure out how to get out of here."

"Any ideas?" TJ kicked at the door. "This seems to be the only way out."

"The ventilation ducts are built in, it looks like," she said. "And too small to crawl through even if they weren't. We have to break down that door somehow."

"Where's Andros when we need him?" Carlos grumbled. "How many times has he escaped out of here?"

"Too many," Karone muttered. "He's lucky he's still in one piece."

Or maybe not so lucky; Lyra seemed to like toying with him. Karone doubted that Lyra would ever do him any physical harm, though from the little Andros had told her, the mind games she played had grown increasingly sadistic.

"Only one person can fit through that door at a time," she said, forcing herself to concentrate on their current problem. Lyra and her twisted mind they could worry about later.

"So they can't all come in at once, at least." Carlos paused. "I think that's a good thing, anyway."

"The downside? We can't run past them. But we could try to fight them back," TJ mused, stretching his shoulders.

Karone nodded her head slowly, frowning as she heard some commotion outside. Backing up to stand between the two boys, she raised her hands defensively.

Her eyes widened when the door slid open. She'd expected it to be Lyra standing there instead of Cosmos, and her shock only deepened as she got a good look at his face. Metal implants covered half of his face and he stared at her through emotionless eyes.

Something had happened. She was sure of it know and not at all certain that she wanted to know what it was.

"Cosmos?" She hesitated, tentatively venturing, "Kale?"

His lips curled up into a cold sneer. Slowly, he raised one arm and Karone realized too late that it was to level a blaster at them. She lunged for it and felt TJ and Carlos moving forward with her, but they weren't fast enough. She hit the floor, deafened by the sound of the explosion.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm sorry for the extremely late update. I've got a week and a half to go before summer (yay!) and that should make updates come at least a little bit faster. Chapter 8 should be up as soon as I decide who I've just killed off. Or not just killed off. Much more likely not killed off. Anyway, I will try to update this story more often and any feedback is appreciated. :) Hope you liked it! 


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 8**

The rough metal of the deck scraped her arms painfully, but that was the least of her worries. Karone lifted her head just in time to see Cosmos prepare to fire again. Swinging one leg forward, she knocked his feet out from under him. The blaster went off again as he tripped and she jumped, her heart thudding furiously as she looked around for TJ and Carlos.

TJ scrambled for the blaster, and she let out a sigh of relief that he seemed to be okay. Her eyes slid to Carlos, who wasn't moving. Karone paused only to push herself up before hurrying to his side.

There was a thud behind her as she lifted Carlos's body and threw him over her shoulder, and Karone looked back to see Cosmos slumped over on the ground. TJ aimed the blaster at him, with his head motioning her towards the half-open door.

"I think I've knocked him out," he said. "Let's get out of here."

She had no objections to that. TJ checked to see the hall was clear and she followed him, running down the hall and taking care only that she didn't bump Carlos's head into anything.

He stopped so abruptly she almost ran into him. She heard the footsteps then, and her eyes widened in alarm. There would be nowhere to hide if the quantrons came down this hall.

Karone flattened herself against the wall, her eyes narrowed to slits as though that would somehow make her harder to see. TJ's shoulder pressed against hers as they tried to make themselves as small as possible. Carlos groaned quietly and she winced, about to knock him out again when the quantrons walked away without coming near them.

"That was close," TJ muttered unnecessarily. "Which way do we go?"

"Straight," she suggested nervously. "See if we can find a place to hide for a few minutes while we come up with a plan."

The corridors were clear up ahead. Blaster in hand, TJ moved ahead with Karone close behind him, both hiding just inside the next hall. Karone set Carlos down on the ground, rubbing her shoulder distractedly as she straightened up. He was heavy.

"Is he all right?" TJ asked, keeping one eye on what was happening around them--which, fortunately, seemed to be nothing for the moment.

"He's coming out of it now." Karone glanced down at the Black Ranger. "Let's hope you hit Cosmos hard. How do we get out of here?"

"What was up with those metal things on his face?" TJ wondered, looking towards her with a frown. "He looks like a robot."

"For all I know, it's a fashion statement." Karone frowned. Now that she thought of it, that had been strange. "And where's Lyra? I'd rather not run from him and walk straight into her."

TJ shook his head. "I don't know."

Carlos mumbled something and stirred. Karone knelt down at his side, brushing hair out of his eyes as he tried to sit up.

"Careful," she said sternly. "We don't know how badly you're hurt yet. And try not to make too much noise--we're hiding in a hallway on the Dark Fortress."

"Oh..." He frowned to himself, and Karone sighed.

"Just rest for a minute."

"We're out of range for teleportation," TJ spoke up. "We've got to get out of here on our own."

"Then we will." Karone looked up thoughtfully. "Andros told me he and Ashley escaped through the Velocifighter hangar."

"Twice," TJ reminded her, dubious. "If it's that much of a security risk, don't you think they'd have fixed it by now?"

"You'd think they'd have fixed it the first time," she pointed out. "Come on, it's worth a try."

* * *

Andros was still there. Ashley snuggled closer to him without opening her eyes, smiling faintly when he touched her hair.

"Do you feel any better?" he asked softly, and that was all it took for everything to come rushing back.

She turned her face into the pillow with a sigh. "No."

Andros stroked her hair for awhile longer without saying anything, just holding her. Ashley reached up to take his hand, slowly exhaling once his fingers covered hers.

"Where's everyone else?"

"Bridge," he said. "We still haven't found them."

"Oh..." She finally opened her eyes, tilting her head back to look at him. He smiled at her but his face was tight with concern. Ashley squeezed his fingers, and sighed. "You can go if you want."

"I don't want to." Andros touched a kiss to her hair, and sighed. "Besides, Zhane's threatened to tie me down if I leave this room again."

Ashley held onto his hand with both of hers now, her eyes closed again. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," he promised her. "I can take this thing off in a few hours."

"That's good..." What else was there for her to say? Ashley laid a hand on his stomach, with one finger tracing the outline of the bone regenerator. "A--andros, I..."

"You don't need to say anything," he told her, pushing himself up with a groan. "Unless you want to."

She rolled onto her side and touched his hand, needing suddenly to hold onto him for everything to feel all right again. "I'm going to go help Zhane and Cassie."

"Ash, are you sure that--"

"Andros, I can't stay in here any longer," she said. "I'll go crazy thinking about it--about her..."

When her voice trailed off, he nodded slowly. "I'm going with you."

"I thought you weren't allowed out of bed."

"I don't care."

"Well, I do!" Ashley nearly shouted. "Andros--" She was still yelling at him, she realized suddenly, and lowered her voice. "I didn't mean to kill her, but I shot at her because she was trying to kill you, and if you get yourself hurt then it was all for nothing."

Andros looked down, sighing. "Go on," he said quietly. "I'll talk to you later."

She bit her lip, tentatively laying her hand on his shoulder. "Andros..."

"Go," he repeated firmly. "You wanted to."

Slowly, she climbed out of bed and left the room. She didn't look back at him.

* * *

Because of him. Andros closed his eyes and tried to make himself comfortable. Ashley had done it because of him. She hadn't wanted to kill, but she had--for him.

It was his fault.

Nearly two years he'd wanted Lyra dead. Ashley hadn't even been around until seven months ago. He'd had two years to track her down and kill her himself, and he hadn't. He'd spent two years plotting to get his morpher back and making no progress.

He should have done better. He should have listened to Zhane and Karone when they'd tried to help him--all the friends he had lots had been theirs too. He should have fought for them instead of mourning them in a way that did their memory no good.

His parents, he thought suddenly, and shut his eyes in pain. His parents would still be alive if he hadn't been so... so blind. So stupid _How_ had he not noticed?

He was almost able to ignore the pain as he turned onto his side--the regenerator must have been working, then. Andros slid one arm beneath the pillow and let out a deep sigh.

His parents. Zeah. Zyanya. Kir. Renn. All of them Lyra had taken away from him, not to mention the countless innocents who had been killed in the fight to protect KO-35. If she'd lived, he had no doubts that she would have killed more--hell, it was what she'd been trying to do to him when Ashley had shot her.

But Ashley had never killed anyone before, and he hadn't wanted to make her. She was a Ranger with a duty to do, but what benefit was there for her in taking a life away, even if it was Lyra's? He'd done it before and he could have done it again.

And it all came back to that--_he hadn't done it._

He might wish now that he had, but he couldn't change a thing. He couldn't go back and change it. All he could do was hope that Ashley wouldn't hate him for it, when her mind was clear enough to realize that he hadn't done his job half as well as he should have.

"Karone and TJ are in the infirmary with only mild injuries." Deca's voice broke through his thoughts, and he looked up in surprise. "Carlos sustained a light concussion but will be healed again by morning."

Andros closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath of relief. "Tell her I'll be there in a few minutes," he said, slowly pushing himself up.

"I have informed Karone that you are in need of rest," Deca replied. "You will heal more quickly with sleep, Andros. She is resting as well."

"She's asleep?" Andros eyed her suspiciously.

"Yes."

"I don't believe you," he grumbled, but sat down on Ashley's bed again. "Where's Zhane?"

"He is with Karone."

"And Ashley?"

"She is conversing with Cassie."

"Oh. Thanks, Deca," he said, and sighed. At least she knew she could talk to her friends.

The regenerator dug into his back as he leaned against the pillows. Andros groaned, then sat up and stripped off his shirt, unbuckling the device from around his middle. He could move feeling only a twinge now, and the regenerator was causing him more discomfort than his ribs.

"I do not think that is wise--"

"Of course you don't," Andros muttered. "I feel fine, Deca, and I'll sleep it off anyway. I hate wearing this thing."

"It is still unwise to--"

"Deca, would you leave us alone for awhile?" Ashley's voice was quiet, but Andros's head snapped towards her.

"What are you doing here?"

"It's my room, isn't it?" She smiled a tiny smile, crossing the room to sit beside him. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course you can." He scooted over to make room for her, draping an arm around her shoulders when she curled up at his side.

"I didn't really want to talk," Ashley said softly, tucking her head against his shoulder. Her hair lightly tickled his arms as he turned to kiss the top of her head, and she sighed quietly. "Just... hold me?"

He tightened his arm around her without a word, shifting to be able to hold her close. Ashley wrapped her arms around him and he did as she asked for awhile longer.

"I love you, Ash," he murmured quietly into her ear. "You'll be okay."

"I love you too," she whispered. "Andros?"

"Yeah?"

"I--I think... if I had to do it again, I think I would," she told him softly. "To keep you safe."

That was really the last thing he wanted to hear, but he only hugged her a little closer. "Keep yourself safe first, Ash," he said. "I don't want to see you dead."

* * *

**A/N:** No, I haven't forgotten about this story just yet. :P Writer's block, but I think I can have the next chapter up in a week if I can just make myself focus.

I've been really horrible about replying to your reviews--I'm so sorry about that. I do try to at least say "thank you" to everyone who leaves non-anonymous feedback and if you're one of the many that I haven't responded to, I thank you for taking the time to tell me what you think. I will be better at this.

Thanks for reading, please review. :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** The Power Rangers are not mine.

**Chapter 9**

_"Andros."_

_He started at her voice in his ear, his eyes snapping open in alarm. "You're dead."_

_"Details." She made a face at him, tossing her hair. "I want to talk to you."_

_Slowly, Andros pushed himself up in bed. "I don't really want to talk to you."_

_"Let me rephrase that." She paused. "I _need_ to talk to you."_

_"You're dead," he repeated. "Leave me alone."_

_"Would you prefer it if I went and tried to talk to her?"_

_Andros's eyes slid towards Ashley, still sound asleep beside him. Lyra smirked when he looked back towards her, dropping down on the bed beside him. Andros folded his arms over his chest, staring her in the eye and refusing to back away._

_"Fine," he muttered. "What do you want?"_

_"To talk to you."_

_"What about?" he prompted impatiently. "Please just get this over with."_

_"Your brother."_

_"I changed my mind." Andros narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't want to hear it."_

_"Do you ever listen?" She rolled her eyes at him in irritation. "I don't care if you want to or not."_

_"Then hurry up," he snapped at her. "What about him?"_

_"He isn't what you think," Lyra said, turning to lean against the post at the foot of the bed. Once comfortable, she crossed her arms and shook her head. "They've done something to him."_

_"He murdered my parents," Andros growled at her. "His own parents! I don't care what happens to him now."_

_"He did what was right to him," she said, calmly studying his expression. "It made no difference to him that they were his parents--and it shouldn't have. It was what needed to be done."_

_"They loved him!" he burst out. "He was their son and they loved him, and he had no reason to kill them! They didn't know who he was."_

_"They were the enemy!" she shouted back at him. "That's all that matters."_

_"Why are you here?" he demanded. "This has nothing to do with Cosmos, does it?"_

_She shrugged. "I was bored and it was easier to reach you."_

_"What do you want?"_

_Ashley stirred in her sleep, snuggling closer to his side. Andros kept one eye on Lyra as he glanced down at her, laying one hand on her shoulder. It wasn't much of a protective gesture, but it offered him some comfort._

_"She can't hear me," Lyra informed him, her lips quirking into an eerie sort of smile. "Just you--keep shouting and she'll wake up."_

_"Leave her alone." Chills rolled down his spine, his fingers clenching over Ashley's shoulder. "That's what you're here for," he realized aloud. "For her."_

_Lyra rolled her eyes at him. "Relax, will you? I can't do anything to her--I'm dead, if you hadn't noticed just yet."_

_"But you're here."_

_"Well, yes." She paused, sighing when he just stared at her. "I told you, I was bored. There's not much I can do about anything until he's joined me. Ecliptor and Darkonda have fixed it so he can't--they've overridden his emotions somehow."_

_"And what do you expect me to do about it?"_

_"Well, if you fix him for me, you'll be shortening his life." She smirked at him. "Don't tell me you don't want that."_

_Her smile widened when he kept quiet. "So you'll do it then," she said brightly. "Good."_

_"I won't."_

_"You have to. You're the Red Ranger."_

_"That doesn't mean I have to kill him," Andros retorted. "I could have him locked up for the rest of his life."_

_Her eyes narrowed. "Do that and you'll never sleep through a night the rest of your life."_

_It might be worth it to finally have the upper hand. Andros shook his head. "We're done talking."_

_"We've only gotten started." Lyra smiled at him sweetly, folding her arms over her chest. "So--what do you have to feel guilty for? She was the one that shot me."_

_"How--"_

_"Would you believe that death made me a mindreader?"_

_"No."_

_"And you'd be right." She shrugged. "You're just that predictable."_

_Andros didn't answer her. This was ridiculous, he told himself. He shouldn't just be sitting here talking with her--he should probably be fighting her. But she was _dead_, and he didn't know where to start._

_"You aren't responsible for everything I've done," she offered. "You couldn't know what I was planning--that was sort of the point, really."_

_But he should have known that she was planning something. He hadn't, and now Ashley was hurting because of it. Andros shook his head. "I should have killed you years ago," he snapped. He'd always wonder why he hadn't._

_"You should have," she agreed. "But you didn't, and there's nothing you can do about it now."_

_Her eyes flickered to the side for an instant. "You had the chance, you know," Lyra murmured. "That day, when I borrowed your morpher for awhile. You got it back," she reminded him when he opened his mouth. "But you could have killed me then."_

_"I could have," he muttered. But he hadn't known about his friends, then, and he hadn't been able to think past the numb shock. "Obviously, I didn't."_

_"Obviously." She smirked, and shook her head. "Do you regret that now?"_

_Andros bit back a retort, against his better judgement contemplating the question. If he'd killed her then, Cosmos would never have gotten ahold of his morpher, KO-35 wouldn't have fallen, and he would have had a chance to save his friends._

_"Of course I do," he said, uneasy._

_"Liar." Her smile was almost cheery. "So, you'll at least think about it?"_

_"No," he snapped. "Leave me alone. If you want him dead so badly, do it yourself. I'm sure you'll manage somehow."_

_"I told you," she said irritably. "I can't reach him. They've done something to him."_

_"And I don't care."_

_"When he kills someone you love, you'll wish you'd done it," she said. "Are you willing to take that chance?"_

_Andros narrowed his eyes, gripped with a sudden suspicion. "What are you planning?"_

_"Dead?" she reminded him, and rolled her eyes at him. "Besides, what would be the fun in telling you?"_

_"Get out."_

_Lyra only blinked at him. Andros pushed back the blankets and slid out of bed, gripping her upper arm. "Get out."_

_"You're no fun." She pouted at him and laughed, shaking her head. "You'll want to think about what I said, Andros."_

_"Leave," he hissed. "Don't come back."_

_"Relax," she muttered. "I'm bored now. I'll go... Oh, how do you feel about some more visitors?"_

_Andros tightened his grasp. "What are you talking about?"_

_"There's some people who want to talk to you," she said, and vanished._

Sweat dripped into his eyes as he jolted up in bed. Heart pounding, he tried to catch his breath. Wiping his forehead with one hand, he dared glance at Ashley. She slept peacefully beside him, unaware, and for that he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Only a dream," he murmured to himself, careful not to wake Ashley as he slowly lay back. It was only a dream, he repeated silently. Lyra was still dead. And even if she wasn't, he wouldn't have sat around talking with her for twenty minutes.

Ashley stirred, and Andros winced. Lightly touching her cheek, he rolled over onto his side and just watched her. She was relaxed, almost peaceful, in sleep; there were few traces of pain on her face. Slowly, her breathing deepened again, and Andros sighed as his eyes slipped shut.

Killing Cosmos was probably inevitable. Andros wasn't quite sure how he felt about that, but his stomach turned at the thought of ever taking another life the way he had before. He remembered too clearly the sound of bone snapping and swallowed hard, struck by sudden nausea.

His thoughts drifted to his parents, and he closed his eyes in pain. Maybe Cosmos had been the one to kill them, but he had been the one to abandon them. Only Karone had sat with them those final few minutes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered aloud, more than anything wishing that he could tell them that. "I'm so sorry..."

He let out a deep breath, trying to ease all the tension inside himself before emotion overtook him. He couldn't break down now; Ashley needed him. Tears pricked his eyes and he had to swallow several times before the lump in his throat stopped aching, but he managed to keep it all inside.

One way or another, he'd bring his brother to justice for what he'd done, he promised himself silently. He didn't want to kill Cosmos, but he would if that was what it came to. He couldn't stand to lose anyone else that mattered to him, and he would do whatever it took to make sure that he didn't.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Um... oops--I thought it had only been two weeks since the last update. I'm really sorry about that and I'll be sure to update again before the end of the month and my vacation. Hope you liked it! 


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 10**

"Morning," Andros's voice greeted her quietly. "How do you feel?"

His hand touched her hair and she smiled faintly. "I'm fine," she whispered, and tucked her head against his shoulder.

When he didn't speak, she knew that he hadn't believed her. Andros sighed quietly and held her close, touching a kiss to her forehead. "I love you."

Why that had her blinking back tears she didn't know, and Ashley swallowed hard. "Love you too..." She rubbed her eyes with the back of her palm, and tried to smile at him to reassure him that she was all right.

Andros groaned softly as he sat up, flexing his shoulders a few times. She watched him yawn and then realized how his eyelids drooped, and wondered suddenly if he'd had any sleep at all. It was her fault if he hadn't.

"Andros?" she ventured timidly. "Are you--are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he answered quickly. "Are you?"

"Andros," she sighed, not fooled by his too-quick response. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he insisted. She just looked at him, and he glanced away. "Just a dream," he said. "It wasn't really anything."

"A dream about her," she muttered. She knew she was right when he didn't say anything. "I'm sorry."

"No." Andros shook his head, touching her hand. "It had nothing to do with you."

Ashley doubted that. But he insisted that it wasn't because of her and so she let it slide. The last thing she'd meant to do was give him nightmares on top of everything else.

"It wasn't a nightmare," he said softly.

She blinked at him, unsure if she'd spoken aloud or if he'd read her mind. "It... wasn't?"

"No." He lowered his eyes, frowning to himself. "She was just... there. She was bored."

"Bored," Ashley repeated flatly.

"I'm sorry," Andros muttered. He looked away. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's okay," she said awkwardly. "You didn't."

Andros raised an eyebrow at her, unconvinced. "Let's get something to eat," he suggested quietly. "If you feel like it."

She didn't really, but she knew she was worrying him enough as it was. "Sure," she agreed. Andros wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she hugged his waist, keeping her hold on him as they wandered down towards the holding bay. As long as he was there, she could believe that it would be okay.

* * *

"Karone?"

She looked up from the reports she had been squinting at. Andros frowned at her and she smiled, waving him closer. "You can come in."

"How do you feel?" was his first question. "Can I talk to you?" was his second.

"Sure..." She set the reader to the side and took a closer look at him. "What's wrong?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"I'm perfectly fine," she answered patiently, and drew her legs up beneath her. "What's bothering you?"

For a moment, he didn't answer. Eyes troubled, he came to sit on her bed, arms folded over his chest as he leaned back against the wall. "It's a long story," he said finally.

Karone nodded, and he started talking. She listened as he recounted his dream, growing uneasy as he told her Lyra's repeated insistence that he kill Cosmos. She wasn't convinced that it was anything more than a dream, but... she didn't like it.

When Andros stopped, she touched his arm and scooted closer. "Was only a dream--right?"

"I hope so," he muttered. Andros shook his head when she narrowed her eyes at him. "You're right. But... she--the dream--made me realize that--" He paused, rearranging his arms and legs. "We have to kill him," he continued. "I--I don't know if there's a way around that anymore."

Karone didn't know how to respond to that. Her hand clenched on his elbow, she studied the sheets for a few moments. "I..."

"I know." Andros laid his fingers over hers, and sighed. "I don't want to be the one to do it."

"I'm not sure I could do it, either," she said, and sighed. If she had to, then she could--she thought. Karone thought of Ashley and bit her lip, squeezing Andros's hand. If that's what it came to, she knew that her friends would help her through it, but she truly didn't want to kill Cosmos.

"Karone?" Andros's voice was soft as he sought out her eye. "Do you ever miss him? When he was Kale?"

"I..." What was the right answer to that? "When we were little, I was probably closer to him than to you," she said, and sighed. That had all changed when she and Andros had started their Ranger training in earnest. "I like you better now," she told him, and tried to smile. "More than I ever liked him."

He smiled faintly, then it faded. "I can hardly remember a time when he liked me."

Karone nodded slowly, frowning as she remembered.

_"Go play with your brothers."_

_Andros looked up when their mother gave Karone a gentle push towards him. She looked at him and he pulled his telekinesis ball closer. "It's mine!"_

_"Andros, share."_

_"You hafta let me play," she said smugly, and the ball floated toward her. "I'm better at it than you, anyway."_

_He reached out and grasped the ball with his hands, holding it against his chest. "You aren't."_

_She narrowed her eyes at him, concentrating. The ball flew out of his grasp into hers, and she laughed when she caught it. "See? I am!"_

_"She is," Kale agreed, and he smiled at her over Andros's head. "You need more practice."_

_"I want it back!" Andros said angrily. "Karone!"_

_"It's my turn," she insisted. "You had it all morning."_

_"Let your sister have it for just a little while," their mother said patiently. "You can have it when she's bored with it."_

_"But--"_

_"No, Andros." Her voice was firmer now, and this time Andros didn't argue when Karone sat down to play._

_"Karone?" He approached her slowly once their mother had left the room. "Can I play with you?"_

_"No." She shook her head and kept the ball close to her, just in case. "Go away."_

_Andros frowned at her. "But I..."_

_"You heard Mom," Kale spoke up. "Go watch vids or something."_

_Andros's face fell. Karone watched him walk away and then turned back to the ball, testing her ability to hold it still. It stopped bouncing but still turned slowly in circles, and no matter how she moved her hands she couldn't seem to make it do what she wanted._

_"Here." Kale slid off of the sofa to crouch in front of her. "Let me help you."_

_The ball's spinning slowed. Karone stared at it until her vision blurred, her hands trembling with effort. Ever so slowly, the motion began to cease. She beamed happily and opened her eyes wide again, looking away when she saw Andros glare at her over Kale's shoulder._

_"Ignore him," Kale said quietly, his voice just loud enough that Andros could hear. "Just ignore him, Karone."_

"I liked him better when he was ignoring me, actually," Andros muttered. "Everyone was happier that way."

He didn't sound bitter--much--but Karone reached to squeeze his hand. He smiled faintly and shook his head, gripping her fingers tight before he released her. "I remember when we started training," he said softly. "I hadn't realized before how... jealous he was."

"It wasn't all you," she offered. "If that makes you feel any better. Remember how he drove Mom and Dad crazy?"

"He wanted his own hover." Andros laughed softly, and nodded. "Dad always told him he'd think about it, and then when he finally got it, it was blown to bits in that next large-scale attack..." He frowned suddenly. "He would have joined Dark Spectre's army around then."

Karone's smile faded. "He was a part of that attack," she said, her voice soft and furious as realization dawned. "I--I still can't believe it sometimes."

"What I'll never understand," Andros said quietly, "is why Mom and Dad. They--they loved him. They'd have forgiven him if they'd known. I'm sure of it."

She shook her head, her fists balled in her lap. "They would have," she agreed. Karone bowed her head, her throat tight. "I miss them," she whispered. "I miss them so much sometimes."

"I didn't miss them enough," Andros muttered. He sat stiffly now, his head turned away from her. "When they were on Centaur B, I mean. I would have given anything to see Kir or Renn or Zyanya or Zeah again, but... I thought that we'd have time after the war was over with, that we could start all over again then. I never thought that..."

She heard him swallow. "I _knew_ what they did was dangerous," he said. "I knew what we did was dangerous, but even after we left KO-35 I never really thought that we wouldn't survive. I know that I should have but I just... I didn't."

"Even after Zeah?" She couldn't help asking it, but her stomach twisted guiltily when she saw him flinch.

"Yeah." He nodded, then let out his breath in a sigh. "I--I thought... if anyone else had to die, then it should have been me," he muttered. "I thought I deserved it."

"Hey," she said sharply.

He shook his head. "I don't anymore."

"Oh." She managed a small smile. "That's... good."

"Now I wish... I wish that I hadn't run away from their deaths," he said quietly. He let out a deep breath, but his voice trembled as he went on. "I--I never said goodbye to them."

"They knew you loved them." Karone tried to comfort him, but he shook his head.

"It doesn't matter," he muttered. "When they were dying, I ran away. I should have stayed with them. I--I should have told them..."

Without a word, she pulled him closer. He didn't tremble and he didn't make a sound, but she didn't doubt that there were tears coursing down his cheeks. She wiped her own eyes absently and kissed his forehead, quietly murmuring that she loved him. His hand tightened on hers and she squeezed back hard, just sitting there with him until the alarms started to shriek.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm back! So I didn't manage to update before I left, obviously, but I think I'll be able to update All I Am twice in the next week and have another chapter to this story up in the next week or two. We'll see... I hope you liked it, please review. :) 


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:**I don't own the Power Rangers.

So... it's been awhile. I really am sorry about that. I've been having a lot of trouble finding the inspiration to keep this story going for those last few chapters, but it finally hit me again tonight. It's been awhile since I've written this fast. I'm planning on another five chapters for this fic and then it'll (finally!) be wrapped up, but there will be no updates during the month of November. I'll be attempting to write a NaNo novel (original fic, finally). Because it's not like I'm in over my head already or anything. Nope. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and I will try not to make you wait three months for the next one. :)

**Chapter 11**

Andros shifted the grip he had on his saber, striking one quantron as he kicked another out of his way. There weren't so many of them this time. He suspected Cosmos had attacked more than anything to vent fury, but that couldn't be right.

Lyra was dead. Cosmos was supposed to die with her. His parents had died within two hours of each other. Zhane and Karone--no, he told himself sharply. He shouldn't think of that now, in the middle of battle.

Ashley blasted a quantron coming his way, and Andros forced himself to focus. He should have ordered her to stay on the Megaship, he thought, letting out a deep breath. He knew it sounded silly when he was the one who couldn't concentrate, but he was worried for her. She was probably in no condition to fight, but Deca had kept quiet and Ashley had insisted, and Andros hadn't remembered until too late why Karone had once locked him out of the Simudeck.

But she seemed to be holding her own all right, so he kept going. He stuck closer to her than he normally did in a fight, remembering briefly how she had always without fail been there when he had needed someone. He wouldn't abandon her when she finally needed _him._

His eyes strayed to his left. The other Rangers were struggling with Cosmos and no matter how he felt the urge to help them, Lyra's words came back to him and he grew reluctant to jump straight into the fight. Cosmos wanted to kill him. He was fairly certain of that. But he didn't want to kill Cosmos unless it was absolutely necessary; he'd done enough killing.

Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cosmos strike Karone across the chest. Andros felt a surge of anger well up inside of him, his hand tightening on his saber as his sister went flying backwards. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to kill him...

No. He fought for control over his emotions, taking out his fury on one unfortunate quantron. Zhane was at her side and Cassie was guarding both of them. Rushing over to Karone now would leave Ashley on her own against a dozen or more quantrons, and that would have been a struggle on her best day.

It turned out that it didn't matter. As he brought his saber down another time, he hit only air. The quantrons vanished an instant before Cosmos himself did, leaving the area still and eerily quiet. Andros just stood there for a moment, his saber gripped tightly in his hands.

He started back into motion only when he realized that Karone hadn't picked herself up again. His heart somewhere in his throat, Andros dropped his saber and finally ran to his sister the way he'd wanted to when he'd first seen her hit.

"She's unconscious," Zhane said, not glancing up as Andros knelt down beside them. "I can't tell how badly she's hurt."

"Karone..." He touched his sister's shoulder gently, swallowing hard. "Let's get her to the med bay."

Zhane nodded once, already reaching for his communicator. Andros squeezed his sister's hand, not about to lose her, too. He tightened his grip as the world disappeared, seeing faint sparkles of purple and silver among the red.

* * *

"She'll be okay." Andros heard the hollow echo of his voice, and felt Ashley's hand tighten on his shoulder. Zhane didn't answer, Karone's hand held tight in his. She _had_ to be. He couldn't lose his sister, too...

Ashley's arm slid around him the rest of the way. He hated to need her so much right now. She had enough problems of her own, but that didn't stop him from leaning against her, his eyes shut tight. Another minute of staring at Karone's pale face and he would go crazy.

"She's going to be fine." Ashley's voice was soft and steady in his ear, her arms holding him tight.

He let out a deep breath when Ashley kissed the side of his head. "I know..." He wasn't so sure that he did.

"Andros, she's going to be fine." Zhane finally spoke up, smiling faintly. "He didn't get her so badly, and you know she's strong."

But she was the only family he had left, and he wouldn't ever stop worrying for her. Andros pulled away from Ashley with a sigh. "I know," he said, staring down at his sister. "I was... thinking about something else."

Zhane just nodded. Andros couldn't look away again, and just watched the slow motions of his sister's breathing. Ashley squeezed his shoulder, and he let out a deep breath, slowly regaining control over his thoughts. If Zhane was sure that Karone would be fine, then Karone would be fine. He knew that. He just... didn't want to let himself believe it.

Andros didn't know how long it was before he realized that Zhane really wanted them to leave. He briefly felt stupid for having taken so long to see it, but when he took another look at Karone all he could remember was how he'd run away while his parents had died.

But Karone wasn't dying. Andros kissed her cheek and quickly left the med bay, before he had the chance to convince himself otherwise. Ashley followed, her hand in his before he was halfway down the hall. She didn't say anything, just squeezing his fingers as he walked towards his room without any idea what he would do once he got there.

She followed him there, and then she sat down on his bed and watched him, waiting. He didn't know what for and he wished that she would say something now, but she just drew her legs up beneath her until she was comfortable.

He stared back at her, not at all sure what he was supposed to do now. All he could see was Karone, his parents, all hurt because of Cosmos. Because of _him._ Andros bit his lip, his stomach twisting painfully. He was the Red Ranger.

"Andros?" Ashley's concern deepened, worry written clearly across her face. She rearranged her legs again, leaving room for him beside her. "Talk to me?"

For a moment, he didn't answer her. He was the Red Ranger, Andros reminded himself again. Right now that was the most important thing. He was the Red Ranger and it was his responsibility to take that seriously. And if that meant that he had to kill Cosmos, then...

He closed his eyes. It wouldn't ever be that easy. As much as he hated Cosmos, some part of him remembered that they had once been brothers. He had tried to forget that when his parents had died, but now it came back at him full force, and all the hatred between them suddenly mattered less than their being of the same blood.

Andros knew that he wasn't being rational. When he had first realized who his brother really was, he wouldn't have hesitated. He would have done what he had had to do in order to end this once and for all. Now, though... He still wanted it done. That much he was sure of. He just didn't know how much longer he could keep fighting this war.

"Andros?" Ashley spoke his name again, sliding off of his bed to come and stand before him. She laid her hand on his arm, gently, her fingers grasping his wrist and holding on. "Karone's going to be okay..."

"It's not that," he muttered. He pulled his hand from hers, but when she hugged him instead, he let her.

"Andros," she whispered, squeezing him tight. "What's wrong?"

"I... Ash..." Before he knew what he was doing, he was telling her everything. From everything that he hadn't told her about his dream of Lyra to his uncertainty about what to do about Cosmos, he just talked and she just listened.

She lowered her head guiltily as he stopped talking, and he remembered then why he had gone to Karone that morning instead of her. She had enough to worry about without adding his problems to it--she shouldn't have to comfort him now.

"I'm fine," he tried to convince her lamely, too late. She knew that he wasn't, and she wouldn't leave him alone now no matter what he said.

"You aren't." She sat cross-legged on his bed now, her arms folded across her chest as she watched him. "Andros... I--I don't know what to say."

"Neither do I," he admitted, speaking against his better judgement. "I don't know what to do, Ash."

Her face darkened, pain and guilt marking her expression. "I wish you didn't have to kill him."

He nodded quickly, knowing that he was hurting her just by talking. He hated himself for it, but he couldn't seem to stop, just needing her. "I don't know if there's any good left in him."

"Neither do I," she said. She looked down at her hands, the fingers of one hand picking at the nails of her other hand. "I just wish you didn't have to."

"I know," he said awkwardly, and he really did. He'd had enough of killing, of death, to last him a lifetime. He'd been just a child when this war had come to KO-35, when he'd first put on the morpher. It seemed longer than ten years sometimes.

Ashley's face was sad when he told her so. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight, but he felt her shoulders tremble and quickly moved to hold her.

"Ash, I'm sorry," he whispered, lifting a hand to touch her hair.

"No," she said. He heard her sniffle. "I--I'm sorry," she stammered. "I don't even know why I'm crying now..."

He did. Andros closed his eyes and held onto her, feeling her arms wrapped just as strongly around him. He shouldn't be letting her sit here and try to comfort him, he told himself again, but he still was in no hurry to release her. It helped to have her here, and she protested yet another time when he told he would be fine if she left. Andros wasn't sure how it helped her to stay here and try to make him feel better, but it seemed to and he wouldn't protest that. He wanted her here with him too badly.

Ashley scrubbed her watery eyes dry and tried to smile a little at him. "Thanks," she murmured sheepishly. "I--I... thanks."

He kissed her in answer, a quick, gentle brush of his lips over hers. Andros felt her hands clench on his shoulders as she reciprocated, her kiss hard and hungry against his mouth.

"Ash..." Startled, he drew back just enough to speak. Her breath was hot on his mouth, on his jaw, and he just wanted to pull her close again and forget everything.

"Hold me," she whispered, her chin on his shoulder. "Andros, please..."

He hugged her tight, his face tucked against her hair and his arms around her waist. She curled herself around him, holding him just as close. Andros didn't know any longer who was comforting who, but it didn't seem important anymore. All that mattered was that she was still there.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 12**

He was too good at this. Karone brushed hair back from her face as she watched him. She knew that she was strong, but Andros... it seemed sometimes that he'd been born knowing how to fight. She knew that he was never so relaxed during battle as he was now working his way through the training sims, but she doubted that he would have been hurt the way that she had been yesterday.

When he turned to look at her, she smiled. "Hi."

The simulation vanished an instant later, though she hadn't heard him give the command. Karone glanced at Deca's nearest eye suspiciously, but she felt her smile widen. Judging from Andros's annoyed look, her guess was right.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked her, coming closer. "You should be--"

"Don't tell me I should be in bed," she warned him.

He smiled faintly. "How do you feel?" he asked her instead.

"Better," she replied.

"Good," he said quietly. "You scared me yesterday."

"Sorry?" she offered, but she was pleased by his words. "I scared myself a little bit."

"When he..." Andros's voice trailed off into a sigh. "I don't think we have any choice anymore. We have to kill him."

Karone lowered her eyes. "I wish that we didn't have to."

"So do I." Andros watched her for a minute. He hesitated for another minute before he sighed and spoke. "Karone... are we doing the right thing?"

"Huh?" She watched him for a minute, unsure quite what he meant. "With Cosmos?"

"Yes." Andros pushed hair out of his face. He waved his hand off to the side, and his towel flew closer. He grabbed it, mopping sweat from his forehead before he spoke again. "I was talking to Ashley yesterday, and I... we've been fighting in this war a long time. I'm not sure that killing Cosmos will end it anymore."

Neither was she. "We have to try."

She thought that he almost smiled. Whether it was because he could hear how empty her words sounded or something else, Karone didn't know. "We don't have a choice," he agreed quietly. "But--what if we do?"

"Have a choice, you mean?" she prompted. He nodded, and she bit her lip. "Well... what would you do, if you could?"

"I don't know," he said. Frustration played across his face, and he shook his head. "I don't know that I want him to live after what he did to Mom and Dad, but... I don't know that I want to kill him, either."

She swallowed at the mention of their parents. "I know," she said. She didn't know that she would be able to do it, either. "I... don't know."

"Do you think he deserves to live?" Andros asked quietly.

Karone hesitated. "I think... He doesn't deserve to live freely," she finally said. "I... I can't tell you if he deserves to live."

Andros nodded silently. "Karone?" he said, looking as though he were biting his tongue. "You... you stayed. With Mom and Dad, I mean, when they... what happened?"

"They never woke up," she said. Hadn't he asked her this before? Or had that been someone else? She didn't remember. "It--it was peaceful... They probably didn't know that I--that I was there..." She stopped and swallowed hard, blinking tears out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Andros muttered. "For leaving."

She shook her head, scrubbing hard at her eyes. "It doesn't matter now."

"It does," he said quietly. "I'm sorry, Karone."

She tried hard to smile at him. "Then I forgive you."

Andros didn't respond. She watched him let out a deep breath, though, and wondered suddenly if that was all that he'd wanted to hear. She would have told him so anyway.

"We've been fighting since we were children!" he burst out suddenly. Surprised, she just watched him vent; Andros was always the cool one. "We've been losing this war since we were children, and I'm tired of it."

How did she answer that? Karone bit her lip. Andros tensed when she laid a hand on his arm, but when she hugged him tight, he sighed in her ear and shook his head.

"Why do you keep fighting?" he asked her. "Why are you still here?"

That, at least, she had an answer to. "This is where I belong," she said. "With you and with Zhane, and with everyone else. This is the right thing for me to do, fighting Dark Spectre. It was just... easier when we weren't alone."

"We're seven people halfway across the universe from anyone who could help us," Andros said. "We're fighting Dark Spectre's entire army on our own."

"The odds aren't in our favor," she agreed. "But we've done pretty good so far, haven't we?"

Slowly, he nodded his head. "We have." He even smiled at that, stepping back from her. "Thank you," he said quietly. "I'm just... I don't want to keep killing people, Karone. Even Cosmos."

How could she ever blame him for that? Karone hugged him again. "I don't want you to have to kill people," she said. A moment later, she added, "Even Cosmos."

"Thanks," he whispered again. He let out a deep breath, straightening up slowly. "I'll be fine."

"Just one of those moments." She squeezed him one last time, smiling at him as encouragingly as she could. "I know."

"Yeah." Andros knew that she did, and she knew that. It made it easier sometimes. Or it would, if he would talk to her. "I know."

"How's Ashley?" she asked him. She wasn't changing the subject, Karone told herself. Not exactly. But she doubted that he wanted to talk about it anymore, at any rate.

"She's... better," he answered. "She was when I saw her last, anyway."

"Good." She poked his arm. Karone knew he didn't really need the reminder, but she added it anyway. "She was there for you when you needed someone. Take care of her."

"I know." He paused. "And you know that I will, as much as she'll let me, anyway."

"Yeah," she said. "I know."

She did, and she knew that sometimes all that it took not to feel alone anymore was a hug or a smile. Karone had to admit, if only to herself, that those probably came more easily to Zhane than they did to her brother, but she wouldn't ever doubt that he loved Ashley.

"Once this is over," she said, "have you thought about what you'll do? You wouldn't want to stay on Earth."

His look was surprised, but she wasn't sure if it was her question or if he really hadn't considered it. Karone hoped it was only the question.

"No," he said. "I wouldn't, but I can't ask her now if she'd want to live on KO-35."

"Well, not now," she agreed. "That would be terrible timing, even for you."

He laughed quietly, though she wasn't quite sure why. "I love her," he said softly, serious in a way that she rarely heard him. "I've never loved anyone the same way."

"But?" she prompted gently.

"What makes you think that there's a but?"

"I've known you for my entire life," she reminded him. As if he could have ever forgotten that. "Something's bothering you."

"It's not Ashley." Andros paused. "Well..."

"What is it?" Karone asked.

"She isn't Karovan," he said. He must have seen the look on her face, because he continued quickly. "I don't know how much I ever believed in bondmates."

He paused, and she decided not to point out that he had believed, once. That her brother was secretly a romantic at heart was something that amused her greatly, and as such, something that she was unlikely to forget.

"And?" she said, watching him when he stopped. "What is it?"

"Do you think..." Andros stopped again, and sighed. "I mean..."

"Do I think you and Ashley are soulmates, you mean?" Karone felt herself smile at him. "What you think is probably more important than what I think, wouldn't you say?"

"Obviously." He smiled faintly. "I know what I think. But--do you think that there's such a thing, or if it's just... luck?"

"Such a thing as love?" She tucked her hair behind her ears, and rolled her eyes at him. "Are you just asking me all the hard questions today?"

"Maybe I like your answers."

Karone couldn't help laughing a little at that. "Yes. Maybe you could spend your life with someone who wasn't the right person and never know it, but I do believe that in true love. You remember Mom and Dad."

"I do." Andros's smile was genuine this time. "We were lucky."

"Yeah," she agreed. "We really were."

It was almost true. Except for the brother who'd betrayed them, the family that they'd lost, and the friends that had died without the chance to fight back. Karone tried not to sigh. For all the darkness, there was something else to match it with. Andros had forgotten that once. She knew that without help, she would have too. She couldn't forget it again.

"I'm going to get something to eat," Andros said suddenly. He sounded sure of himself again when he added, "We'll meet on the Bridge in an hour; who knows when Cosmos will attack again, and we need a new strategy."

He paused in the doorway and looked back at her. Quietly, he added, "Thank you."

Karone smiled at him without speaking. She couldn't think of anything else to say.

**Author's Notes:** I'm back! Again. ::grin:: I'm _so_ close to the end now, just a few more chapters. I'll try not to make you guys wait too long for those.

Challon86 and I have started up the "We Need A Hero" Power Rangers Fanfiction Awards. Please, please tell all your friends and come check it out. We're set up over on LiveJournal, but you absolutely don't need one to nominate or vote. The link is in my profile page, both as my homepage and the bolded link in the announcement, so please come take a look!


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 13**

He'd seen many a planet burn. He'd taken a special pleasure in watching his homeworld fall. Nothing since that day had ever come close to replicating the feeling that had coursed through him as he had forced the Karovan Rangers into retreat. What had been left of them, anyway.

Cosmos smiled to himself. He would take the same pleasure in watching the Earth fall to him just as KO-35 had. He would crush the resistance once and for all. There were precious few Rangers left in the universe, and with the fall of this team, he would cement himself firmly in the eyes of others as Dark Spectre's second in command.

It was doubtful that Darkonda would abandon any of his schemes because of it, or that Divatox would cease bothering him with her incessant chatter in an attempt to win his favor, but for his own peace of mind it would be more than enough for what he needed to do.

"Ecliptor," he called. "The quantrons."

"Awaiting your orders, my prince," his faithful servant replied. "I would advise you to delay your attack by another few hours. There are still more arriving, and Dark Spectre has not yet replied to you."

He no longer cared about that. Cosmos kept his mouth shut. It would be unwise to openly declare war on the monarch.

At least for now.

He had more important worries.

"I'll wait one hour," he relented. "But then I attack, with Dark Spectre or without him. The Earth is mine for the taking."

His brother's life was his for the taking.

Cosmos sneered to himself. It was time he and his brother fought face to face. It was far past the time, actually, but Lyra had found it entertaining and so he had let her do it for him. It had been a grave tactical error, one that he would soon rectify.

And after Andros, then the Yellow Ranger. Then his sister and the Silver Ranger, before he killed the rest. Or perhaps he would reverse that order and kill Andros last. That had been the plan once, he remembered, but it hadn't worked as he'd planned.

And then everything had gone wrong.

_"I don't _know_ why I did," Lyra said crossly. She propped up the pillows on the bed and then threw herself down across the mattress lengthwise. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."_

_"And that's what worries Ecliptor and the others," Cosmos tried to soothe her temper before she grew even more annoyed. "You're not impulsive. You think and you plan before you act."_

_"There wasn't time to think," she retorted. "Another few seconds and the Power probably wouldn't have let go at all."_

_"That's what I'm saying." Cosmos paused as he debated whether or not to ask her. In the end, he went for it. Carefully. "If you'd had the time to think about it, would you have done the same?"_

_"Yes," she answered slowly. "I think I would have."_

_"But why?"_

_"Well, if he kills her, that means I can't." Lyra laughed softly to herself. He answered her smile with one of his own before she then added more seriously, "And no one should have to kill their bondmate."_

_"What?" Cosmos glanced up, momentarily distracted. That he hadn't known._

_Lyra nodded slowly. "They're bondmates."_

_"And do _they_ know that?" He couldn't help asking that time. They didn't act like it._

_"It wouldn't surprise me if they never figured it out." Lyra rolled her eyes. "She's Terran and he's Andros."_

_"You're underestimating him," Cosmos warned. Amused as he was by her judgement of his brother, they had been growing too careless in battle lately. "Even he can't not notice that."_

_"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Lyra paused thoughtfully, and then shrugged. "So, how should we kill her?"_

_"What?" Cosmos looked at her in surprise. "I thought you just said that--"_

_"That no one should kill their bondmate," Lyra repeated. "Not that she shouldn't die."_

_"Then we kill him, too," Cosmos said firmly. "If you're right about this, he won't last long without her, anyway."_

_"Agreed." Lyra stretched her arms above her head before rolling over, craning her neck backwards to still see him as he leaned back against the wall. "You take her and I'll take him? Or would you rather kill him yourself?"_

_He hesitated. He watched her watch him mull it over, his face thoughtful but otherwise expression. "You do it," he said finally. He didn't say why, perhaps because he didn't know why. "I don't want to."_

_He let out a deep breath when Lyra refrained from reminding him that he had killed both his parents without mercy. "Okay, then," she agreed. "I will."_

He wasn't sure when he'd grown reluctant to complete the mission that he'd started so many years before on KO-35. He had never hesitated. Lyra had never hesitated, and right up until that battle where she had saved Andros, they had both been certain that what they did was right.

Then they had hesitated, and Lyra had paid for it.

"Ecliptor," he said abruptly. "Leave me."

Once alone, he strode to the corner of the room. There he smirked at the tall object covered with a sheet. He seized the heavy cloth and pulled it to the side, standing straight.

"Do you see now, wizard?" he gloated. "This precious planet of yours will fall."

"You have the power to stop this," came the answer he had expected. "Search your heart."

"I have," Cosmos replied quietly. He gripped his sword, and then he smiled. "The Earth will fall. A pity you won't be around to see it."

Lyra wasn't the only one with magic. He brought the sword down with all the force he could muster.

* * *

_Ashley glanced up from her stretches as he entered, hopping to her feet as he hovered near the doors. "Hi."_

_"Hi," he muttered at the ground. He couldn't look at her. "I didn't mean to interrupt..."_

_"You didn't," Ashley assured him. He didn't believe her. "How are you?"_

_"I'm fine."_

_Ashley sighed, studying him more closely. Now she didn't believe him, and it bothered him. He was more composed than he had been earlier on the Observatory, at least._

_"Are you really?" she questioned him._

_"I--I don't know," Andros answered, honestly for once. He didn't have the energy to lie. "Maybe."_

_Ashley sighed again as she nodded. "So were you looking for me, or did you want to use the Simudeck?"_

_"I wanted to use the Simudeck," he said. Belatedly, he realized that he wasn't quite dressed for it. "But you can. It's all right."_

_Ashley's smile was a timid one, as though she wasn't sure she should. "We could share."_

_"What?"_

_"I was just going to run one of those training sims," Ashley explained. "I know what you said before, but... well, I just thought..."_

_"I..." He hesitated. "Which one?"_

_"Not yours," she said, looking faintly amused. "I haven't quite worked my way up to a hundred quantrons."_

_He flushed, not knowing how to answer. His mind drifted back to the night she had ended the simulation just as one quantron had moved to do him some serious damage. He wished now that he hadn't snapped at her so angrily, yet the apology that formed on the tip of his tongue didn't quite make it out. _

_"Which one, then?"_

_"Does it matter?" Ashley shrugged. "Look, why don't you go change and I'll start one?"_

_Andros was halfway out of the door before he remembered what he was doing on the Simudeck in the first place. "No, it's all right," he said. "I don't need to change."_

_Ashley looked at him oddly. "What's going on?"_

_"The shuttle has docked," Deca announced. Andros glared at her eye, suspecting that she had deliberately chosen that moment to speak for the sole purpose of arousing Ashley's curiosity._

_"What shuttle?" she demanded. "Is your brother here already?"_

_"Yeah," he muttered. "He's here."_

_"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "How long is he staying?"_

_Andros shrugged as though he couldn't care less. He didn't know why he bothered when she wouldn't be fooled. "A few days?"_

_"A few days," Ashley repeated. "Will you be all right?"_

_He shrugged again. "I don't know."_

_"Spar with me," Ashley suggested suddenly. _

_"What?"_

_"Spar with me, Andros," Ashley repeated. "It'll take your mind off of things, and it'll be good for me, too."_

_Andros hesitated. "I wouldn't want to hurt you."_

_"You won't," she assured him, straightening the hem of her tank top as she spoke. She wore her warm-up sweatpants, but the sweatshirt was on the ground across the room, along with her towel._

_"You don't know that," he said, still indecisive. _

_"Andros, I'm not a ranger for nothing," she said, clearly amused. "And you're not that much bigger than I am."_

_He watched her for a moment, and then slowly shrugged out of his jacket, tossing it carelessly to the ground. Ashley fell into a defensive position, clearly wanting him to attack first. He did, swinging a slow kick in her direction, one she blocked with ease. _

_"You can do better than that," she informed him, her returning kick much more quickly. He blocked her automatically, and she grinned at him, tugging her ankle loose. She dropped to the ground before his mind even registered that she'd moved, and he found himself dangerously close to having his legs knocked out from under him by her sweep kick._

_Andros flipped out of her way, landing in a crouch just as she straightened up. He sprang at her and she leapt back. She ducked just in time; he saw the hem of his pants leg brush the top of her head._

_Straightening up, Ashley sprang forward, catching the fist that he threw at her. She managed to twist his arm behind his back, but that left his other arm still free. He spun, pulling himself free. _

_Ashley didn't react quickly enough and he nearly managed to put her in a chokehold, but then he hesitated. To her credit, she took full advantage of that. She caught his arm and tugged hard, sending them both to the ground with her on top. _

_"I win," she declared triumphantly, pinning his arms. No sooner had the words left her mouth than he flung his arms out to the sides and rolled, listening to her yelp of surprise as she collapsed on top of him._

_"No," he said quietly, his expression unreadable as he studied her. "I win."_

_She looked like she wanted to laugh. Andros pinned her so completely she could hardly move a muscle, and he let his full weight bear down on her, watching her silently for another moment before he pulled back. There was something about her that he didn't understand. But he wanted to._

_He winced as she rubbed at the stark white and red marks on her wrists. "I'm sorry," he offered finally, reaching out to her. His hand closed around her wrist, gently this time. Her skin was soft as his fingers caressed her skin, and he swallowed hard as he tried to keep his touch light._

_"It's all right," she said quietly. "You didn't hurt me."_

_"But I could have," he protested. He almost had. "I shouldn't have done that."_

_"Andros, it's all right," she insisted. "I'm fine."_

_"You should be careful," he blurted out, his hold on her wrist tightening just a bit. "We were just sparring, but in a real fight..." He hesitated, muttering, "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."_

_"I'll be careful," she promised, a smile forming on her lips. _

_Andros released her wrist then, and reached out to her slowly. When she didn't say a word, he drew her into an embrace, holding her close against his chest. He didn't want her to leave him._

_"I wouldn't want anything to happen to you," he repeated. She wrapped her arms around him in return and he closed his eyes. What would he do without her?_

Andros closed his eyes with a sigh. He'd probably fallen in love with her then, though he hadn't wanted to admit it. He hadn't admitted it until the inevitable realization had caught him off guard, and even then he hadn't said anything.

And now he was standing here staring out into space, wanting nothing more than to talk to her and wishing that she would let him. He didn't know how she'd managed to make him talk all of those times. She was certainly better at it than he was, anyway.

But he had to try.

There was no answer when he knocked on her door. He called her name quietly, knocking once more before he tried something else. _"Ash?"_

_"Observatory,"_ she answered him a minute later.

Her answer had been slow, and she hadn't spoken besides that, but he went to the Observatory anyway. He found her on her back on the couch, her hands clasped behind her head as she stared up at the stars.

"Ash," he said softly.

"Hi," she said, just as quietly. She didn't take her eyes away from the stars, but when he came to sit beside her, she lifted her head.

"How are you?"

He watched her smile when he stroked her hair, and Andros let himself relax. "I'm feeling better."

Andros wrapped his arms around her as she sat up. She let him hold her and he didn't let go, hugging her close. "I love you," she said softly, squeezing him. "Thank you."

He didn't have an answer except to smile at her. How many times had she sat with him?

"There is unusual activity in the cryo chamber," Deca interrupted them. "I thought you would wish to be notified."

"Any activity in the cryo chamber is unusual," Andros told her sharply. He hadn't been in the room since they'd put his parent's bodies in there for storage, and that memory was still raw. "Check your sensors."

"There is nothing wrong with my sensors." Now she sounded miffed, and he couldn't help sighing.

"Then tell Zhane." He wasn't going in there.

The alarms shrilled before she could reply. Andros reached for his morpher on instinct and watched out of the corner of his eye as Ashley did the same. "What now?"

"Angel Grove is under attack."

Like they couldn't have guessed that much. Andros felt a flash of amusement as he shook his head, asking. "Who this time?"

There was a moment of silence before Deca answered. "Lyra."

**Author's Notes:** Well. That was unexpected. ::boggles:: I was rereading parts I and II earlier today (that's why the flashbacks are here) and was hit by a sudden burst of inspiration to write this story. Since I don't remember the last time I was inspired for this story, I went with it... and got this. Oops. But now that I've no clue what's going to happen next, I want to write it and find out, so... look for another update soon. :) Please review and tell me what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 14**

He didn't know what tricks Cosmos was playing on them this time, but Deca adamantly insisted that there was absolutely nothing wrong with her sensors and he knew that there was absolutely nothing wrong with his eyes. Andros stared at the viewing screen almost open-mouthed in shock for as long as he could afford to, Ashley standing pale and quiet at his side.

"I'm fine," she murmured when he looked at her in concern. "Really. I am."

He didn't believe her. He wasn't sure that he was much better, though, and so he didn't say anything for a full minute afterward. "It can't be her."

"My sensors--"

"I don't _care_ what they say!" Andros snapped at Deca. "Lyra's dead. We_saw_ her die!"

"Yeah, and that's not exactly a temporary thing," TJ said. "But we've got to get down there."

There didn't seem to be any way around that. Andros closed his eyes in an effort to steady himself. Ashley nodded slowly when he looked towards her, and he inclined his head in return. He didn't need to worry about her. Too much, anyway; he trusted her judgement not to put the team at risk by insisting that she could take care of herself in battle if she couldn't.

"Ready?" he asked. "Then--let's rocket!"

Deca, for once in her life, didn't need to be asked. He felt the dizzying rush of teleportation as he was swept up, his eyes opening only when his feet touched the ground again.

"Hey!" Ashley was shouting as he opened his eyes. "Who are you?"

"You don't recognize me, Yellow Ranger" The voice was the same, and so was the smile. "I'm hurt."

Ashley stiffened, and Andros clenched his saber tightly. "Lyra is dead," he said coldly. "I don't know who you are, but you're--"

"Going to pay for it, I suppose," she said. "Well, then. Let's see what you can do, Andros."

The way she said his name unnerved him. Andros forced his uneasiness to the side. "You guys ready?"

"Oh yeah," Carlos said.

"Can we just do this?" Ashley's voice was edgy, and he couldn't blame her for that. He rather wanted this done with himself.

"Right." Andros apologized to her silently, and gripped his blaster. "Fire!"

Lyra--_not Lyra,_ he told himself sternly--deflected each blast with her staff, almost dancing as she dodged them. "You can do better than that!" she shouted, and he wondered if maybe...

Then she was gone, and he was left staring at the spot where she had been standing a moment before in shock. He wasn't quite sure that he had any idea what had just happened, and everyone was looking at him like he had an answer for them.

"Um." Cassie was the first to speak. "What just happened?"

"That wasn't her!" Carlos insisted, and Andros felt a rush of relief that he wasn't the only one. "That's not possible!"

"No," TJ agreed. "But who _was_ it? I don't know who she was, but that was a damn good impression."

Andros silently agreed, but reached for Ashley as he raised his morpher. "Deca, get us out of here."

It wasn't that this would make any kind of sense once they were back on the Megaship. But he didn't have to stand around morphed, waiting for her to come back when he wasn't looking.

"I'm fine," Ashley insisted again, though she held tightly to his hand. "I--I don't know."

"You think it was her?" he questioned her quietly.

"I don't know," she said again. "I don't _want_ it to be, but... I--I just don't know."

She didn't want to be a murderer. Andros squeezed her hand and tried not to think of how he understood. "Deca, is there any way to--"

"My sensors tell me that this is Lyra," Deca said, her voice patient but somehow sharper than usual. "Like you, I have no explanation at the current time. Lyra was still human, and humans do not spontaneously revert back to life days after death. There are several possibilities that I am willing to consider, but--"

"So, Deca doesn't get it, either," Zhane cut her off. "Anyone else?"

"Um, you guys?" Cassie stood at TJ's console, staring at it worriedly. "I think we've got an even bigger problem now. According to these reports, Rita and Zedd are attacking the Vica galaxy." She looked to Karone for confirmation. "The Vica have no defenses."

The Rangers slowly exchanged uneasy glances. Lyra coming back from the dead was suddenly an afterthought.

"They won't know what hit 'em!" TJ protested. "They'll be crushed."

"Exactly." Karone bit her lip from her own station. "Divatox is attacking, too, and Mondo..."

"They're attacking the universe," Carlos said. His voice rose in alarm. "What now?"

"We fight," Andros said simply. What else was there to do?

"Over a thousand velocifighters," Carlos reported grimly.

That registered as important enough to catch his attention. "Heading where?" he demanded.

"Heading for--" Carlos stopped. "Deca."

The viewing screen flickered once, and he heard Ashley gasp softly as the screen showed them the space in front of them. The darkness was littered with velocifighters, all of them advancing closer and closer to Earth's atmosphere.

They stood in stunned silence for a moment before Zhane found his voice. "We've got to get down there."

That was enough to snap him out of it. "Right." Andros let out a deep breath. This was what he had been waiting for for two years, ever since KO-35 had fallen. There would be no coming back from this battle to do it again. He swallowed hard and looked first to Deca's closest eye, and then at Cassie. "Raise the shields."

* * *

She didn't know how it had happened. Well, she did. But she didn't really, and that wasn't even important right now, because with her staff in her hand and quantrons at her command, she was alive, and nothing else mattered. 

The ground rocked beneath her as the velocifighters swooped low and fired. The people all around her screamed and shouted and ran, and she stood there and laughed, because she was alive and this was what she was meant to do. There was nothing that could give her this pleasure but power, and she would take every bit of it now.

Cheers went up from the crowd, and she raised her head in annoyance. They were never far behind, were they? No, it seemed not.

Lyra smiled. The Rangers came flying in side by side on their gliders, standing proud and strong the way that they always did when they were winning. But this was one battle that they wouldn't win. She would see to that.

A streak of red lightning flashed through the air and hit the back of Andros's glider. The Red Ranger tumbled through the air, landing on his feet through some quick acrobatics. Lyra laughed. Cosmos. It had to be. The green shots that were fired next could only be Ecliptor, and one by one, the Rangers were thrown down into the fight on the ground all around her.

She wasn't even disappointed when Andros didn't rush for her. He battled Ecliptor instead, his saber raised but never really blocking. The quantrons seemed to hinder both of them, crowding the two of them until they had no room to battle.

"You!"

This should be interesting. Lyra was already smiling as she turned to stare down the Ranger rushing towards her. "Hello, Yellow Ranger!" she called. "It's nice to see that you've missed me!"

"It really is you!" She sounded stunned, but beneath it, Lyra would swear that she heard relief of some sort. Relief that she wasn't a murderer, perhaps--though it had been nice to see that Andros had some company... Hmm.

Lyra only smiled at her. "Supposed to be," she agreed cheerfully. "I've you to thank for that, don't I, Yellow Ranger?"

Ashley didn't budge, her blaster held steady in her hand. Lyra shrugged. "Well, then, we'll just get down to it, then, won't we?"

She attacked without another word, and threw herself into the fight. This time, she wouldn't lose. She wouldn't go there again.

* * *

"Ashley, look out!" Andros leaned over the edge of the rooftop, shouting down to her. He saw Ecliptor rush towards him again and ducked, his heart thudding furiously as the sword swung and missed his head only by inches. 

He saw her turn towards the sound of his voice. She screamed his name in warning and he turned too late and too slowly, the world exploding behind him. The blast knocked him from the rooftop. The battlizer armor kept him from falling, but his heart nearly stopped for the second time in as many minutes, and he shouted at himself sternly to pay attention. He wouldn't lost another planet. He wouldn't lose the universe.

"ANDROS!"

Karone this time, and he felt the impact as she screamed. Someone laughed--Cosmos, Darkonda; he wasn't sure--and then the armor vanished as he flew forward through the air, smashing into an abandoned car.

He rolled off of the hood, gasping for breath as quantrons swarmed him. A kick landed to his ribs and he groaned. It took more strength than he would have wanted it to for him to force his way back to his feet, but he managed, and struck the nearest quantron across the chest.

"Andros!" Ashley fought her way to his side, dragging one quantron away from him and kicking another. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he gasped out.

As the words left his mouth, he heard another laugh. Cosmos and Ecliptor stood side by side, and he saw twin flashes of light just as Ashley was knocked off of her feet into him. He was thrown forward onto his stomach, seeing stars as his suit vanished.

"Help them!" he heard Karone shout from somewhere as the Power faded and every ache intensified tenfold.

He thought she was yelling at Zhane; he'd seen the Silver Ranger somewhere around there, but he wasn't sure, and then the quantrons swarmed him again and it didn't matter who was where. No one was with him but Ashley, and they were on their own for this fight.

"Hang on!" Zhane blasted the quantrons just enough to afford them an escape route. Andros caught Ashley's hand as they ran through the quantrons, chased by Cosmos and Ecliptor but not looking back.

The ground shook as they fled, Zhane and Karone falling into place beside them. "Keep going!" his sister shouted over the sound of explosions. "We're surrounded."

The word tasted bitter in his mouth, but there was no other choice. He wouldn't have them lose their lives for his pride. "Retreat!"

* * *

"We're getting our butts kicked out there," Carlos moaned. He sank down onto a fallen beam beside her, and Ashley touched his hand in commiseration. "What do we do now?" 

"I don't know yet." Andros's voice was quiet. He touched her hand, and Ashley looked at him. "Was that really her?"

"Yes." She swallowed. "It was her."

"Since when can he bring people back from the dead?" Karone demanded. "You'd think he would have done it before now."

"Must be new," TJ said grimly. "Who knows what he'll do next?"

"That's it," Andros said suddenly. "We have to go to the Dark Fortress. We have to go after him there."

Zhane protested before she could. "How many times have we--no,_you--_done just exactly that before? And did it work?"

"We have to take the chance," Andros insisted. "We have to do_something_!"

"You're not going to get up and run off to the Dark Fortress!" Zhane shook his head. "Not alone."

"No," Andros protested. "You're not coming with me."

"No, but I am."

Ashley watched his head spin towards his sister. "Karone--"

"I go or you don't," she said firmly. "We do it together or not at all."

Ashley caught her eye when Andros sighed loudly, flashing her a thumbs-up. Karone smiled faintly, and Ashley almost wanted to laugh. If it hadn't started raining flaming rock, she might have.

Their morphers beeped. TJ raised his first. "Go ahead."

"Rangers," Deca's voice came to them as clearly as ever. "Dark Spectre has been destroyed."

"No way," Cassie muttered. "This is unreal."

"But by who?" Ashley demanded. "Cosmos and Lyra?"

"That I do not know," Deca admitted. "The Megaship has taken some damage."

"But if Dark Spectre's gone, who's in charge?" TJ asked no one in particular. "Who are we fighting now?"

"I don't know," Andros said quietly. "But we're going to find out."

----

**Author's Notes:** I'm DONE! I think it'll come out to two more chapters once I edit it and smooth it out a bit (which, for some reason, I've chosen to do at a quarter to four in the morning, which might explain why I'm wondering why my spellchecker doesn't recognize "battlizer" as a legitimate word of the English language. ::laughs::) Anyway, I hope I'll have both chapters up within a week. My love to anyone who's hung around with me for the last two years to see how this story ends and anyone who's showed up along the way. Almost there!


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers. This chapter closely follows the episode "Countdown to Destruction II," and some lines are taken directly from the episode.

**Author's Note:** Just one chapter after this one and I'll _finally_ be done! I've decided to rewrite most of what I have for the last chapter, so it will be a few days before the final chapter is up. Almost done, now; enjoy!

**Chapter 15**

Zhane was right. This hadn't been a good idea. He could recognize that in retrospect, but then, when he'd thought it up he hadn't been standing on the Dark Fortress and he hadn't had his sister there with him to worry him.

At least they hadn't teleported directly in directly in front of Cosmos and Lyra again. Andros had to be thankful for that, and it was an improvement over the last time he'd snuck onto this ship, but he was still beginning to regret this, and he wasn't even sure why.

"Next time, I'll take Zhane's advice," he muttered.

From beside him, Karone snorted. "Cute."

He ignored her. Andros sighed. He shouldn't have come. He didn't want to do this.

_"We don't have a choice. But--what if we do?"_

_"Have a choice, you mean? Well... what would you do, if you could?"_

_"I don't know. I don't know that I want him to live after what he did to Mom and Dad, but... I don't know that I want to kill him, either."_

He still didn't have an answer to that, yet here he was about to kill Cosmos. He knew that this time, there was nothing to stop him. Most people probably wouldn't _want_ to stop him. Most people would probably encourage it, and even he had to admit that killing Cosmos was what made the most sense to do.

Then there was Lyra, and Andros didn't even know where to start with her. She was supposed to be dead. And really, so was Cosmos, which bothered him on a deeper level. His parents had gone within moments of each other. Why was Cosmos still here? Why was _Lyra_ still here?

"This way." Karone gave his arm a gentle tug, and he followed.

He wasn't sure quite why she wanted to go that way, but he hadn't any idea of where to start looking and it seemed as good a direction as any to walk in. Each sound had him jumping. He growled silently in frustration, willing himself to concentrate. Now was not the time to start second guessing himself. He should have done that before in Angel Grove. Now he was wandering through the halls of the Dark Fortress and it was too late to change his mind.

Karone swore quietly under her breath, and he snapped back to attention. He heard Cosmos's voice just an instant after she did, and froze as his brother rounded the corner with Lyra on his heels.

For an instant, the four of them just stared at each other.

"Well." Lyra was the first to break the silence. "Were you just coming to visit or was there something else that you wanted?"

Andros called for his Spiral Saber silently, his eyes squarely on Cosmos.

Karone eyed Lyra in a way that reassured him that she would be just fine. Almost.

"Now!" he shouted, and they charged forward together. Andros blocked the swing of his brother's sword as adrenaline flowed through him, renewing the fight in him.

Karone kicked Lyra's staff out of her way, and he hid a smile. She fought in a way that he hadn't seen in years, and there was nothing that he had to worry about now except for himself. He turned back to Cosmos. If he was wounded during battle because he'd been too busy worrying over her, Karone would kill him herself as save Cosmos the trouble.

Cosmos slid backwards a step, and Andros lunged forward. They danced back and forth, sword and saber clashing together in one shower of sparks after the other. Out of the corner of his eye, Andros spotted another corridor. He didn't pause in the duel, but he kept his eye on it.

Ducking before he lost his head, Andros spun towards it. Karone was close enough, just barely.

Cosmos charged forward again.

Lyra raised her staff.

Andros threw himself at Karone, pushing her forward. He heard her yelp in surprise, but she didn't hesitate to start running with him, her hand in his.

"This way!" he shouted, practically shoving Karone through the first door he saw. He lunged through it and she slammed down the lock just as Cosmos leapt at them.

There was a clatter of metal against metal. Andros raised his head slowly, heart pounding loudly enough that he heard nothing else. "That won't hold them for long," he said finally, but Karone wasn't listening.

She pointed in front of them, to where shattered glass lay on the floor, surrounding an immobile figure. "Zordon," she whispered.

* * *

They'd lost battles before but this time, they were losing the war. Ashley leaned against a battered car, trying in vain to scrub the dirt from her face. Andros and Karone had been gone hours now, she thought, and if they hadn't been, then it certainly felt like it. 

Exhausted, TJ stood next to her. She touched his arm and tried to smile. She couldn't quite manage it, couldn't quite manage to ignore the despair of the people all around them. The people needed the Power Rangers, and the Power Rangers were nowhere to be found.

"People of Earth!"

"No," Cassie whispered, paling. "Not her again."

Ashley bit her lip. The only comfort she found in Lyra standing on the rooftop of a nearby building was that it meant that she wasn't on the Dark Fortress with Andros and Karone.

But there was no sign of Cosmos, and she couldn't help feeling that it was too much to hope for that neither of them were on the Dark Fortress.

"Power Rangers!" Lyra shouted. "Cowards! You would sacrifice this entire planet to save yourselves!"

"You guys," Cassie said. "What do we do now?"

TJ shook his head. Ashley swallowed hard and looked around. Carlos and Zhane both just shook their heads as well, and she lowered her eyes. They couldn't afford to lose this battle, but... what else was there to do?

"Fine," Lyra snapped, as nothing but silence came from the crowd below. "Have it your way, then."

As she raised her staff, a voice shouted from below. "Wait!"

Lyra paused.

Ashley's eyes widened as she recognized Bulk, stepping forward through the crowd. "I," he stated boldly, "am the Blue Ranger."

Ashley caught her breath. Lyra knew that it wasn't true, obviously, but she didn't attack.

TJ straightened suddenly, as someone else--_Skull?_she thought wildly--declared themselves to be the Black Ranger. "Follow me," he said quietly.

The others exchanged quick glances among themselves before they did as he said, quickly running for the nearest building as everyone around them claimed to be the Power Rangers.

Ashley didn't have time to think. When she leapt up onto the rooftop, she knew what TJ would do, but after so long of keeping her identity a secret, she couldn't think of what would happen next.

"Destroy it all!" Lyra ordered the quantrons on the ground below. She blasted the ground beneath her, then straightened up as vanished as quickly as she had first appeared.

Screams came from the crowd as the quantrons attacked. Ashley fell into place between Zhane and TJ, willing her hands to stop shaking.

"Hold it right there!" Carlos shouted, and for one moment, the attacks stopped.

Ashley swallowed, chills rippling across her arms as TJ spoke. "We are the Power Rangers."

* * *

"It is your duty at Power Rangers to save the universe." His voice was weak, but there was no mistaking the truth of his words. "Now is the time. Only my energy can stop this."

Andros shook his head. "Zordon, there has to be another way."

"There is no other way." The wizard was weakening as he spoke. "I will be gone in a few minutes regardless. You must."

"But what'll happen to you?" Karone protested.

"I will be gone," he said calmly. "But I will forever live on it whatever is good."

Slowly, Karone nodded her head, her staff in her hand as she stood. Andros followed.

He'd had enough of killing, enough of war. He gripped his saber tightly in his fist, with his other hand reaching for Karone. "Together?" he asked quietly, catching her fingers and not letting to.

She nodded her head as an explosion sounded just outside the door. "Together."

What happened next, he didn't know. The door must have given way; he heard Cosmos and Lyra both, shouting at him and Karone. The ground beneath his feet rocked and he lost his balance, falling into Karone as someone screamed in his ear. An instant later, everything around him was warmth and light, and he clung to Karone's hand as the world blinded him.

* * *

All around her, people were screaming, cheering. Ashley caught Carlos's eye, dazed. A moment ago, quantrons had been everywhere and she had hardly been able to breath. Before their eyes, the last of their enemies crumbled to sand and scattered in the wind. 

She had no time to think before the crowd mobbed them, screaming all the more loudly as the light faded. She was shaking, trembling, laughing hysterically as her teammates shouted and cheered, borne up on the shoulders of the people of Angel Grove.

"We won!" That was Carlos, and the answering shout was Cassie, and then she saw Zhane ahead of her, laughing as he slapped hands with anyone around him.

_We won._

They'd won. They'd _won._ The thought registered just enough, and Ashley shouted in jubilation with the rest of them.

Her heart caught in her throat when the skies above them darkened. It wasn't the welcome blue and red of the Megaship, but the dark colors of the Dark Fortress, and for an instant she thought that they'd--_No._ Zhane was still dancing around, and though he paused to look at the ship curiously, he was clearly celebrating.

They were all right. They had to be.

The ramp lowered too slowly. She saw one pair of boots and then another, Andros and Karone descending hand in hand.

"Andros!" She shrieked his name as she flew towards him, thinking of nothing but how she wanted to hold him in her arms and never let go.

He caught her when she flung her arms around his neck, laughing quietly in her ear. "Ash," he whispered. "It's over."

"I--Andros--oh god..." She couldn't think of what to ask first. "What happened?"

"It's a long story," he said hoarsely, and shook his head. "Cosmos and Lyra are in there. Someone else can decide what to do with them."

"But--everyone else--" she started. "The sand..."

He nodded. "They're different," he said. "I don't know what Zordon did, but..."

"Zordon?"

"It's a long story," Andros said again. "I'll tell you later."

She closed her eyes and hugged him harder. "I'll wait."

* * *

The mess on KO-35 had never been cleaned up. For all he knew, it was exactly as they'd left it two--three, now--years before. The mess on Earth he would have gladly cleaned up, but no one would allow him to. No one would allow any of them to do a thing, which, he admitted, worked out well. They had the rest of the universe to worry about, and there were plenty of willing volunteers down in Angel Grove. 

So they returned to the Megaship, exhausted and near collapse, but victorious, and this time, it was the victory that mattered.

"Deca, are communications online?"

"I am repairing them," she replied. "I suggest you report to the Bridge, Andros."

He winced at the thought of how much damage could have been done. Without flight control, the Megaship was grounded almost permanently, and--

Karone screamed in his ear.

Andros started badly, but she flew past him.

His eyes followed her, and his heart stopped. _No, it's not possible... it _can't_ be._

But Karone was jumping up and down, still screaming, tears rolling down her cheeks. Andros just stood there numbly, staring open-mouthed in disbelief for the second time that day.

Ashley's hand on his arm was what snapped him out of his daze. She gave him a gentle push forward and he almost stumbled. Still stunned, he turned to look at her. She looked back at him, sharing his amazement, and then she stepped away to leave him alone.

That more than anything convinced him that this was real, and he felt tears in his eyes as he took a shaky breath. "Dad?" he whispered, slowly stepping forward. "Mom?"


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers. That would be Disney.

**Chapter 16**

"How?" Karone finally asked. She wiped her face with one hand, tears still in her eyes. "I--I just... how?"

Andros wondered the same thing, but sitting on the couch in the Observatory with his mother's arms around him mattered so much more than the answer. He lifted one hand to rub at his eyes yet again, and felt his mother turn towards Karone.

"We're not sure," Adya admitted. "We left the Megaship and then we were... here."

"They first showed signs of life shortly before Lyra appeared in Angel Grove," Deca interjected quietly, her voice fading as quickly as she had spoken up.

"And you didn't _tell_ us?" Andros demanded, still too elated to really be angry.

Deca didn't answer, and he just rolled his eyes. Adya smiled at him, and he hugged his mother harder, still not sure that he believed that he had them both back.

"I just can't believe it," Karone said softly. "I--I thought I'd never see you again, and then when we realized that Cosmos--" She stopped.

He saw Karone's eyes widen, and his joy turned to sickness. "That night," he said, hesitating. Maybe he didn't need to tell them now... "That night you went to Angel Grove, you were attacked by--by Cosmos and Lyra."

"We remember," Kieran said softly.

"But you don't understand," Andros said. "Lyra was Kadri, and Cosmos--"

"We know." Adya laid her hand on his arm, squeezing gently. "We know."

"How?" Karone asked.

"He showed us," Kieran said, his expression dark. He touched Karone's hand, reaching for Andros with the other. "We can talk about it later."

There was no room for argument in that. Andros nodded slowly, one arm around his mother. With the other, he reached to hold his father's hand, squeezing the fingers hard. "I--" Tears stung his eyes and he had to swallow hard just to be able to get the words out. "I love you."

"We love you too," Adya murmured. "We've always loved you, and we're so proud of you."

She was looking at Karone as she spoke, but Andros had a feeling that the words were directed at him. His throat aching all over again, he just nodded, leaning his head on her shoulder.

"Tell us about you," Adya said. "What's happened to the two of you?"

Andros was more than happy to let the subject change. He let Karone do most of the talking, catching them up on what had happened and interjecting only when it was important. He wasn't sure that he would even have known where to start.

His parents listened without speaking much, and he just sat there not knowing what to say. There wasn't anything that he needed _to_ say. All that he had to do was sit there and convince himself that this wasn't a dream.

Karone's voice washed over him, and he tried to think. Because it nagged at him and he had to know. Deca said that his parents had shown signs of life when Lyra had appeared in Angel Grove, and as far as he could tell, Cosmos had brought Lyra back to life with Zordon's energy. He could believe that Cosmos had done the same with their parents.

He only wished that he knew if it had been deliberate or not. It wouldn't matter in the long run--he didn't know what would become of Cosmos and Lyra, but one act of goodness wasn't enough to erase the last five years.

But it mattered to Andros, and he wanted to know.

The Observatory doors slid open, and Ashley hesitated in the doorway. "Um," she said quietly, and that was all that it took for all the eyes in the room to focus on her. "I don't mean to interrupt you, but--there's dinner if you want to join the rest of us."

"That sounds lovely," Adya declared firmly. "We'll be there."

"Wait," Andros said before Ashley could leave. "Ash, wait a minute."

She smiled as she came closer, and he stood up to take her hand. As he did so, Andros realized that he didn't know exactly what he was doing. Both of his parents smiled knowingly, though, and he relaxed.

"Well," his mother remarked, "it looks like you've finally listened to my advice."

Adya stood, laughing as she kissed his cheek. "You're smiling again," she said softly. "I'm not sure that I remember the last time you smiled."

"Mom." He bit his lip, his eyes stinging.

Adya turned to Ashley, laughing. "I knew I liked you," she declared, and then reached for Kieran's hand. "We'll be waiting."

Karone followed closely behind their parents, shooting Andros a pointed look that he ignored. Instead, he turned to pull Ashley into his arms, holding her tight as he let out a shaky breath.

"I never thought--" He swallowed hard. "I can't believe... my parents, Ash."

"I know," she murmured. She hugged him tight. "You deserve them, you and Karone both."

He stepped away from her only because he was hungry, and if he started crying again now, they'd never make it to dinner. "Thanks," he whispered, forcing air out around the lump in his throat. He took her hand and squeezed her fingers hard, taking a step towards the door. "Come on."

* * *

She'd never forget this. That much was for certain. Ashley snuggled a little closer to Andros, her head on his chest. She hadn't ever seen him this happy before. She liked to see him like this. More than anything, she wanted see him happy. 

And she wouldn't, if she went back to Earth. He wouldn't want to live on Earth. She supposed that she'd always known that. But he hadn't asked her to stay with him, and she couldn't exactly invite herself to live with him on his home planet.

"Andros," she whispered. "You awake?"

"Yeah," he answered softly. He touched her hair with one hand, slowly stroking his fingers through her hair. "I'm just... thinking."

"Want to talk?" she offered, the way she had so many times before.

"Not yet." He played with her hair for a few moments longer, and she couldn't help but smile. "Ash... I love you."

"I love you too," she said, just as quietly. Her heart seized painfully, and she wondered suddenly if he would break up with her rather than try to work it out. She forced the idea away a minute later--this was Andros, and he wouldn't do that. Ashley was mostly sure of that.

"I was talking to Karone," he said. "Before... this. She told me to talk to you."

Ashley made a mental note to thank Karone for it later. "All right," she said slowly.

"I love you," he said again, slowly. "I love you, and you--you're everything."

"I love you too," she murmured again, not sure yet whether or not she should be worried. "Andros?"

"I don't want to be without you," he said in a rush, and she let out a deep breath. "I want to stay with you, Ash."

"That's what I want, too," she said softly. She pushed herself up on one elbow to stare down at him, smiling a little as she brushed her fingers across his forehead. "But you wouldn't want to be on Earth."

"Well..." He hesitated. "Would you ever want to come to KO-35? You don't have to, and it won't be the way that Earth was, but--"

She covered his lips with one finger, not bothering to fight the smile that was slowly spreading across her face. She didn't know how this would work--what would her parents say?--but that didn't matter now. Andros was what she wanted more than anything, and she'd been through enough just to have him. They'd find a way.

"I'd love to," she told him, and leaned back down to kiss him. He smiled against her lips and she giggled, speaking before she could second guess herself. "You know I'd stay forever if you wanted me to."

"I wouldn't mind," he whispered, and she kissed him again.

"Good," she declared, and settled herself comfortably in his arms. "Then I'll stay forever."

"Forever," he echoed softly, suddenly serious. "I want you to stay forever."

Ashley opened her eyes again. She didn't dare hope that she'd heard right. "What?"

She drew away just enough to stare at him. "What?"

"Stay forever," he whispered, carefully watching her with wide eyes. "Please?"

"I--oh god, Andros..." Her breath caught as she realized what he was asking. It was everything that she'd ever wanted and she could hardly speak to tell him so. She settled for nodding her head fiercely, blinking tears out of her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her in a crushing hug. She could do this. She could stay with him forever.

**Author's Notes:** ::collapses:: AND I'M DONE! Oh god, I'm never doing this again. Until next time, of course. ::laughs:: _So much love_ for anyone who's stuck around with me for the past... two years and twenty-eight days, and for all the people who showed up along the way. You've all been amazing to me, and thank you so much!


End file.
